Capekillers Vol 2: Extract the Toxin
by T. L. Veselka
Summary: After the assault on Fort Raymond, the Capekillers are left to pick up the pieces but Agent Crowne is determined to turn his loss into a victory. Sequel to Capekillers Vol 1, Chapter 4 is up. Chapter Four is longer than any other chapter in the series so be forewarned. It almost got split into two chapters it was so long but it concludes the Extract the Toxin arc.
1. Extract the Toxin Pt 1: Down and Out

**#6  
FEB 15 **

_Extract the Toxin, Part One:_  
 _"Down and Out"_

By Tim Veselka

* * *

 **Location Undisclosed – Time Unknown**

Everything was pain and darkness, nothing else existed, not a past or a future or even his own identity. It was overwhelming, if his body responded he would have cried but if he ever knew how to control his body he had somehow forgotten. The pain seemed to stretch on for an eternity, until finally something else formed in the white hot void. Sound. At first it was nothing more than the thrumming of his own heartbeat, but eventually other sounds coalesced into reality: voices, shouting unintelligibly. He was unsure if it was due to them being far away or if it was an indication something else was terribly amiss. Whatever the cause, the sounds eventually began to sharpen and the voices to soften.

"Well, we did plan for this eventuality," an annoyed voice came from the darkness.

"Yes, but it was meant for someone that had already been trained and had agreed to the procedure beforehand."

"Would he survive if we didn't do it?"

"The backup prototype isn't even tested; we know that it has bugs to work out."

"Then I am glad I am not risking one of my own with the first procedure."

"I am not sure I can go along with this. The moral implications of what we are discussing ..."

"And what of the moral implications of doing nothing when you could have saved a life?"

"This is highly unusual."

"And what did you think you were joining? The Boy Scouts?"

The sounds became muffled and finally the pain began to subside and there was blissful peace, at least until the agony woke him again.

* * *

 **New York City – 06:18**

"Ouch!" Agent Mulligan hissed as he slowly came back around to consciousness. His head was pounding and he could feel he was bruised in numerous places. What had happened last night? He remembered the explosion and standing off against the crazy looking supervillains, but nothing after he had taken the experiment from their grasp.

He opened his eyes. He instantly regretted it. Before him lay the vast cityscape of New York City, gray and steel building stretching as far as the eyes could see through the haze. There was only one problem. He was at least two-hundred feet up, and outside. He glanced quickly down at his feet and saw with little relief that they were planted firmly on a five-inch wide ledge. His head swam. How had he gotten here? He glanced to the right and to the left, there were no windows nearby. He tensed himself against the rough stone wall and glanced up.

About three feet above him and six to the right was a large window with a ledge. He was lucky, most buildings had too much glass for this to be possible. He slowly began to inch his way along the narrow stone ledge. Every sense was heightened, every nerve on edge. His mind swirled with wild possibilities about how he had arrived at his present predicament. Had he somehow flown, with the aid of an apparatus he no longer possessed? Maybe a villain had teleported him here to get rid of him.

It didn't matter right now. He breathed out slowly and steadily, trying to center himself. It was a simple technique many had learned in boot camp. He had to focus on getting inside and back to Fort Raymond. Just a few more feet and he would be directly under the window. Maybe he would be able to reach up and grab the ledge under it. He stretched up with his hand but found nothing but flat wall.

Steeling himself he turned his head and looked up. He had at least another nine inches to go before he could reach the window ledge. He realized what he had to do. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his racing heart. No luck. He breathed deep and slow a couple times, then leapt. Mercifully his fingertips latched onto the ledge, his body hanging painfully from them. Blood rushed through his ears so loudly it sounded like a raging river.

Then his fingers slipped.

It took him almost a full half-second to realize what had happened. His mind froze and time seemed to come to a near standstill. The ledge he had grabbed onto was already a good eight feet above him. The wind whipped at his clothes and hair. He was going to die.

Even as he came to this realization something strange began to happen. Calm overcame him and his fluttering clothes turned black and red while pressing tightly to his body. His sleeves seeped rapidly up his arms until his hands were blood red. Huge thick black claws protruded from his fingers as Patrick Mulligan watched on in dazed fascination.

Quicker than what he would have thought humanly possible his clawed hands lashed out and grabbed onto the cement wall. Dust and pebbles flew from the wall as his claws tore into its side without any pain. He looked down when he realized his feet were now clawed and had joined in slowing his descent. He finally stopped and pulled one oozing black-clawed hand from the wall. Whatever substance covered him was slick and shimmering, it moved as if alive. That was when all of his memories came crashing back.

Patrick screamed in sheer horror.

* * *

 **Hood's Hideout – 06:42**

Eric O'Grady was beginning to feel dizzy. He hadn't exactly gotten much sleep as he had spent the night clutched to Joystick's armor. Not to mention he was bleeding from where he had been shot. Luckily for him it was standard issue for S.H.I.E.L.D. agents' uniforms to be Kevlar-lined to protect from bullet wounds. The bullet hadn't bitten deep.

Still, he had to admit it was pretty amazing being about the size of an ant and clutching to a woman's shoulder. Below him was a great view of what were now two enormous breasts bouncing as she walked impatiently across the room. Hood and his gang were arguing about what to do next.

He had been injured badly enough that he was sure if he had stuck around then he would have died. Taking the Soldier Ant suit was a stroke of pure genius, if you asked O'Grady. It had not only helped staunch his bleeding and automatically given him some pain-aid but had also allowed him to latch onto the villains and find out not only where their secret lair was but also possibly what their plans might be, or at least what they had been after.

Of course he hadn't been planning on the perspective of being less than an inch tall to change so much that he hadn't been able to tell where they were going at all. It was amazing how much being an inch tall affected the senses. As far as he could tell now they were all gathered in a warehouse around the red-robed guy they called Hood.

"I thought your contact in S.H.I.E.L.D. was supposed to be infallible!" Joystick raged. Eric could feel her throat rumble as she formed the words. If it hadn't been for the helmet he wore he wouldn't have been able to understand her at all.

"They were." That had to be the Hood.

"Then what happened?"

"They haven't gotten back to me, so I don't know!" Hood growled. "I am out ten million just like the rest of you. I want to know what happened, and then I want to use these plans we stole to see if we can't at least recoup some of our losses and track down that Soldier Ant suit."

"Sounds like you don't know what you are doing," Joystick verbally jabbed.

"This wasn't how it was supposed to go, so no, but I am good at improvising. We will get this Soldier Ant costume then sell it to get back some of the money and plan another sting. Our employer wants the objective, no matter the cost."

O'Grady didn't like the sound of that. He had better leave while he could, before they were able to track his suit. He leaped from Joystick's soldier and fell slowly down toward the ground. A few quick bursts from his boot rockets slowed his descent even further.

"How are we going to be sure we aren't just walking into a S.H.I.E.L.D. trap?" that wasn't Joystick or Hood.

"We already know that both agents O'Grady and Mulligan have taken their experiments off-base." Hood paced as he spoke. "Since they have done so they are both considered to be traitors by S.H.I.E.L.D.; they wouldn't dare risk returning since they are to be shot on sight."

"As long as they aren't teaming up then this should be easy, especially taking the Soldier Ant suit from O'Grady."

O'Grady fumed at Hood's words, but he knew the criminal had a point. O'Grady had absolutely no experience in the superhero world and he had barely begun to figure out the functions of the suit he had stolen. He didn't dare go back to S.H.I.E.L.D. now. He shook his head and refocused on the situation at hand. Escape from Hood's gang without being detected and before they were able to locate him when his footsteps were about a centimeter long.

"I thought the Toxin experiment was the priority?"

"It was but we have no way of tracking it like we do O'Grady; we have the suit's specs after all."

Agent O'Grady's ears perked up at this. So that is what they had been after. Project Toxin, whatever that was. A sudden thought occurred to him and he used his rocket boosters in short bursts to quickly cover the ten feet of floor between him and the door. With one last backward glance Eric considered for a moment turning the suit over to the villain gang for a handsome price, but knew they would just take it from him so he shook his head and slid under the door and into the night.

* * *

 **Fort Raymond – 07:21**

Rubble and bodies littered the hole that had been the entrance to the fort's main building. They had been cleaning all night, Fury had even sent up a cleanup crew to help. There had been such extensive damage to the base and so many injured agents, not to mention the dead ones, that even after seven hours it seemed like they had barely put a dent in the chaos.

Crowne stood in the center of what was left of the entryway and stared about sourly. He had never even had a chance to prove himself and now, most likely, this would be the end of his once illustrious career. He kicked at a bit of cement and it skittered noisily away until it bumped into Harrison's foot. The man was walking toward him with 'that' look in his eyes and what was left of his Capekiller agents trailing behind him. Crowne was in no mood to hear the man's lectures or his 'suggestions'. He had had enough.

"How is the cleanup coming?" Harrison asked friendly enough.

"Ask Fury's lackeys," Crowne dismissed with a thumb jammed in the direction of the cleanup crew. "I'm busy trying to figure out how to stay employed."

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Harrison roared over the sound of falling rubble and people shouting warnings. "These people have followed you this far and as soon as the first major roadblock hits you're gonna turn your backs on them?"

"Not one of these people were ever behind me," Crowne sneered. "You know it as well as I do. Don't bother denying it."

"Oh?" Harrison growled, fury showing plainly on his face. "And what about Agent Barrows, she died protecting your secrets, refused to say a word. Did she not have your back?"

Crowne was caught off-guard by Harrison's remark. He hadn't expected the man to go there. He felt a pang of guilt that he struggled to stifle. It was difficult; he couldn't look the man in the eye. Normally it wasn't so hard. She had been brave, he had seen the footage. He had gone to the video logs to see if she had any fault in what had occurred, what he saw had made him feel guilty for ever thinking less of her.

"Fine," Crowne agreed, irritation oozing from his voice. "Let the two criminals out and make them help with the clean-up. Their particular power set ought to be helpful."

"I'm afraid you're too late with that one," Harrison smirked, stepping aside to reveal Mimic and Constrictor already hard at work clearing rubble. They were both glowering at Crowne, Mimic's eyes even flashed red.

"What?!" Crowne barked. "How did...explain this!"

"One of the agent's psi-shield was knocked off in the battle; they got out right as the villains were retreating."

Thirty feet away the two captive villains were grumbling to themselves as they worked.

"You know I didn't have this suit made so I could use it for manual labor. This is completely beneath my skills," Constrictor complained to the nearest S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

"I don't care," the agent replied as he continued helping them clear out a pile of broken cinderblocks.

"We could have helped, you know," Mimic told the agent.

"And why would we trust you to do that, and not find the soonest possible exit?"

"We were underground," Mimic retorted. "We had no possible exit."

"Just shut up and get to work."

"What would have happened to us if you all had died?" Constrictor added. "We would have rotted in our cell."

"Well, ya didn't. Now shut up or I will shock you enough shut you up."

Mimic and Constrictor shared an understanding look before returning to work. That is, until Crowne showed up. "You two thought you were real clever getting out of your cell like that didn't you? You thought you could slip away while we were under attack."

"No, we just didn't want to end up buried alive with no way out," Constrictor stared him down.

"I have been going light on you two up to now," Crowne glared right back at them. "That all stops as of right now!"

"I just got here!"

"I cannot deal with all of this stupidity right now," Crowne pressed fingers to his temples. "I am going to my office to figure out what to do next." He marched off toward the only still working elevator. No one regretted seeing him go.

"What an ass," Harrison mumbled a little too loudly. The Capekillers nodded their agreement.

"How did someone like that get to be in such a high position?" Mimic wondered aloud thrusting his head in the direction Crowne had disappeared.

"It's espionage," Constrictor answered him gruffly. "Liars and cheats are a highly prized commodity in S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Watch your mouth!" a nearby agent hissed.

"Or what?" Constrictor turned, his coils lashing about.

Tempers were beginning to flare. No one had had any sleep and all were on edge. Most of the eyes in the room were red-rimmed and blurry. Not a single face was smiling; most mouths were turned down in a grim grimace of determination. No matter how much training an agent had nothing could prepare them for seeing a friend die.

"Listen, criminal, your little buddies killed Agent Barrows, so I don't want to hear a damn word from you." The agent placed a hand on his sidearm.

"Buddies?" Constrictor sneered, ignoring the obvious threat. "Those psychos were no friends of mine, otherwise I wouldn't still be here."

"Psychos? Like you're any different from them."

"All right, you two!" Harrison came stomping over. "That's enough of that! Haven't you had enough fighting for one day?"

The agent stood his ground, glaring menacingly at Constrictor.

"Agent Lovejoy!" Harrison barked again, stepping forward.

Lovejoy spun on his heel and stalked off. "Don't know why we don't just lock these idiots away in some dark hole. It's the least they deserve."

"Lovejoy when this is over you are going to meet me in my office," Harrison commanded, his tone brooked no argument. "Anyone else want to start shit? I have had enough of the other guys being one step ahead of us and we aren't going to get back ahead standing here arguing like a bunch of assholes. Get your shit together and finish clean up."

Shame-faced the remaining agents returned to their work without another word. Constrictor glared about but no one would look him in the eye except the steel-eyed glare of Harrison. Even Constrictor had to admit that man belonged in a commanding position in S.H.I.E.L.D..

"Cancino, Castillo and Hunter, you are with me," Harrison waved to his Capekillers as he headed deeper into the bowels of the broken base.

"What are we doing, boss?" Cancino asked. "Are we going to be taking out the bastards that did this, or what?"

"Not yet," Harrison shook his head. "I want revenge just as much as you do, but first let's get the tools that will help us to get the job done."

"What does that mean?" Hunter asked.

"We were able to recover the Ant-Man specs," Harrison explained. "He has a tracker built into the suit. We are going to hunt him down and take our weapon back.

* * *

 **Hood's Hideout - 07:22**

Hood sat in an office chair, his eyes glaring at the backs of Joystick and Porcupine. They were the only two of the entire gang who had any expertise in computers and hacking. They constantly argued as they tried to figure out how to track the Ant-Man suit.

"You really do have no idea what you're doing," Joystick needled at Porcupine as she elbowed him aside in a bid to take over the single computer they had in the hideout. "Just admit you are way in over your head. I won't tell anyone."

The woman was even beginning to grate against the Hood's nerves. He hated having to deal with her, but his master had seen some sort of potential in her that Hood just didn't see. Evidently she had participated in some sort of tournament and impressed his master greatly.

"There's a reason there aren't that many women hackers," Porcupine finally gave into her constant goading. "Get out of my way."

"Look, shithead," Joystick glared at the masked villain, "I am this close to taking out my batons and smashing you into a spiky pulp. I don't care what the Hood says."

"Enough!" Hood finally shouted, jumping to his feet. "You two have already wasted more time arguing than you have trying to solve our problem. Shut up and get to work or I will find two smarter villains who want ten million dollars."

Joystick glared at him, she open and closed her mouth multiple times as if decided which retort to use against him, but eventually she fell silent and turned with a concentrated stare at the computer screen. After a pause Porcupine joined her.

* * *

 **Undisclosed loft overlooking New York Harbor - 10:30 am**

The man who called himself the Black Fox was awoken by his cell phone ringing. It only rang when he had a job or some very important information. He groaned and swiped a worn hand over his eyes, trying to clear his blurry vision.

"Hello?" he answered, his voice still gruff from being awakened. "Calm down, take a breath, what's going on?"

His informant on the other end of the line was panicked, her voice cracking and constantly changing in volume from a near-shout to a secretive whisper.

"What do you mean Hood changed his plans?" The elderly Black Fox listened as the last night's events were explained to him.

"Idiot," Black Fox spat. "No, not you, the Hood. How are either of us supposed to get what we want now? I am sure the security has doubled for the facility, that is, if they haven't moved."

"Wait, are you saying both of the experiments are missing now, along with O'Grady and Mulligan? I've got to go now, don't call me for the rest of the day unless it is an emergency. Where am I going? I've got to find O'Grady before the Hood does."

* * *

 **S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Trauma Ward – Somewhere in the American skies**

Agent Humphries sat outside the surgery room with his right leg shaking uncontrollably. It had a habit of doing that whenever he became too emotional, which, if you asked Agent Lucas, was quite often. Humphries stared imploringly at the glass window that revealed the surgery room. Inside several doctors were bent over Humphries' partner.

During their last assignment Lucas' hand had been shattered in the battle against Constrictor. The S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors were doing their best to save the bloody broken lump. It was no small task, their instruments were covered in blood and the doctors were sweating profusely. A nurse went from one doctor to the next, dabbing their foreheads with a drying cloth.

A few other agents were gathered with Humphries in the waiting room. Some of them were friends of Lucas; others were there for different agents. A few of Lucas' friends gathered around the strained looking Humphries.

"There wasn't anything you could have done," one agent comforted with a pat on Humphries' shoulder.

"Yeah, they just changed the plans on you without any warning."

"You two were up against a former S.H.I.E.L.D. super-agent."

"I am the senior agent, I should have been the one to take the injury," Humphries bemoaned, pointing at himself as his eyes filled with unshed tears.

"He'll be okay; he's not going to die or anything." With that comment Humphries burst into loud tears, burying his face into his hands.

"Shut up, Anthony," one of the other agents punched the last commenter in the shoulder. "God, you have no sense of empathy."

"He may lose his hand completely," Humphries told their friends through softening sobs. "I am responsible."

"You can't be so hard on yourself."

"That's just the dangers of the job."

"You can't worry about that, there's nothing you can do to change it now."

All of the comforting, or not so comforting, comments ceased when the surgery room door opened with a click.

"Humphries?"

The agent cleared his bloodshot eyes and stood up and at attention. "Here."

"We weren't able to restore his hand back to normal," the doctor began. Humphries bowed his head and whispered an apology to his comatose partner. "However we were able to save it as best we could, with a few upgrades."

"Upgrades?" Humphries' already high-pitched voice squeaked in shock. "What exactly do you mean by upgrades?"

"Come on in, I'll show you," the doctor opened the door wider to allow the agent passage. Humphries' heart sank to his knees as he stepped into the operating room. Would his partner and best friend be a cripple for the rest of his life?

 **To Be Continued...**

 **Next** : In _Capekillers #7_ : A funeral and the last experiment revealed. Plus, the hunt is on for Ant-Man and fugitive Pat Mulligan tries to adjust to his new status quo.

* * *

 _Tales From the Hood, Part One:_  
 _"How I Got This Way"_

By Tim Veselka

* * *

 **Parker Robbins' apartment - 1 year ago**

"Come on, coz," Pete shouted at me as he slammed open my bedroom door. Good thing Ariana was already gone or she would have bitched us both out. She has been grumpier than usual lately.

"What do you want?"

"It's Diego, him and the gang have a huge score down in the old district and they want us to back them up."

"You're kidding?" I can't believe what he is telling me. I have been trying to get in good with Diego for months now.

"Come on, bro," Pete, better known to his non-relatives as Hustle, tossed a shirt at me. "What the hell are you waiting for?"

"To wake up," I smile as I slide on the t-shirt. "Are you serious he wants the two of us to back them up? Why all of the sudden does he think we are good enough?"

"I guess he is getting every man he has available, he says this is a major deal," Pete shrugged. "He told me after today that no one would mess with him."

I slip on my clothes as fast as I can. What could be so big that Diego was willing to have people he didn't trust watching his back? I grabbed my two 9mms. I wasn't going to screw this up.

* * *

 **Old District**

Pete parked a few blocks from the warehouse that Diego had summoned us to. Unless you were planning a quick getaway only an idiot parked in front of a score. Didn't want to alert anyone to the fact we were coming.

We got out of Pete's junker Camaro and walked toward the target. Until we noticed two guys that didn't belong, and the way they carried themselves they were probably cops, or Feds. One of them was in his late-thirties with platinum blonde hair and a gap between his two front teeth. The other was in his late twenties with shaggy brown hair and a cheesy shit-eating grin. I discreetly elbowed my idiot cousin in the ribs.

"Those are cops," I told him, nodding in the pair's direction.

"Let's duck into the next hiding spot when they aren't looking and let them pass."

I nodded my agreement. Both of us were packing and two cops had no problem frisking two hood rats in broad daylight. Even if I was white, my cousin's mom was Mexican and he looked every bit his mother's son. My one shot with Diego could be screwed before I even got a chance to try.

We waited until the two were trying to act nonchalant and were looking away and we ducked into and alley and hid behind a few boxes with the filthy end of a bum hanging out of them. On the opposite side of the alley was a big green trash bin, the first place they would look. If they went there I would shoot them. I wasn't going to let my chances be spoiled by a couple of pigs.

After about thirty seconds of breathless waiting I could see their shadows fall across the alley. My cousin poked me with one hand; the other was covering his nose. It did smell like ass and puke.

"I can't believe you lost sight of those boys. How completely unlike you, Humphries."

"True, so true. Usually I have no trouble finding boys do I?"

"None whatsoever . . ."

Their voices faded as they walked on.

"Fucking faggot cops!" Pete exclaimed once we crawled out from our hiding place.

"They're not cops." I rolled my eyes at him.

"How can you tell?"

"They're British," I told him. "Didn't you hear their accent?"

"So?"

"How many British cops do you think there are on the New York City Police Force? Now what are the chances of two of them becoming partners?"

"What do you think they are then?" Pete asked defiantly. My cousin is an idiot.

"I don't know, private security, some sort of international anti-drug conglomerate, who knows? Diego is mixed up in some serious shit."

"Oh man!" Pete looked worried.

"Diego just might be right about how big this score is. I can't let him down. This is the perfect time to be in on the action. I can be in good for sure."

We glanced around the street before trotting over to the warehouse where Diego had asked us to meet.

"I don't see anyone," Pete glanced around.

"Let's try the back," I said. "You know how Diego likes to go in the backdoor."

Pete snorted. We ran to the back.

"Shit!" One of Diego's men was laying on the ground, blood seeping from some hidden wound. He was dead. The back door was ajar. With a nod at a now very pale Pete I pulled out one of my handguns and slipped the door open a little wider with my foot, careful to stay out of sight in case someone was waiting with a gun. Nothing.

I looked over at Pete who was finally fumbling his gun out of his pants and swallowing nervously. I shook my head and scooted quietly inside. I was in a narrow hallway, more men lay dead around me. I took a deep breath to settle my nerves. You couldn't get to the top without losing some people. My parents, my cousins, my friends, everyone I knew was at the bottom. Lost in the ghetto. There was no way in hell I was gonna let that happen to me.

I moved forward to find more bodies around the corner and a slight open area. Some of these men were from a rival gang, some of them leaders. I could hear raised voices, muffled through a wall and god knows what else.

I jogged over to the only door I saw. It was also still slightly open. I tried to peek in but all I saw was shadows and the far wall. Pete, breathing heavy and fast, finally caught up with me.

"You can try as hard as you want, I was guaranteed this trap would hold."

That was Diego's voice. There was another sound besides Diego shouting, a mix between heavy breathing and a fire crackling. Diego was already on top of things, I had gotten here too damn late, fucking Brits.

I confidently walked into the room, holding my gun up to train on whoever Diego had trapped. Until I saw who, or better said what, Diego had trapped.

"A demon!" Pete shouted, his voice cracking in fear.

For once he was right. Whatever it really was stood a good eight feet tall covered in what could only be described as a black exoskeleton. Its mouth had two enormous fangs in its upper and lower jaw respectively. In-between skeletal joints shot streams of blue and red flames. It wore a floating red cloak and a pair of old school black leather boots.

"Now you decide to show up, Hustle?" Diego sneered at the two of them. All about him were strewn the dead bodies of his gang. There was no one left alive but Diego. That was when a thought occurred to me.

I trained the gun on Diego. "What's going on here?"

"Parker, you better point that 9mm at someone else before you end up like everyone else here."

"Yeah, Parker, what are you thinking?"

"Shut up, Pete," I quickly drew my other pistol and trained it at my cousin's face. No one was going to stop me from getting what I wanted. That was how the world worked.

"You better listen to your stupid cousin over there. I am about to gain all of this demon's power."

"No," I said simply as a I squeezed the trigger. BLAM! "You're not."

Pete screamed when Diego fell to the ground, his eyes still open with that stupid look of contempt frozen on his face.

"What the hell, man?" Pete screamed.

"Now I am going to take this demon's power for myself."

"You have no idea how."

"I was listening outside the door long enough," I lied.

"The hood and boots will not serve you well," the demon-thing hissed. "They will change you."

I smiled, stupid demon. "That's what I am counting on." I opened fire with both my pistols, pumping it full of lead. It took every shot I had and still it was moaning and squirming on the floor, locked into place by a strange circle surrounded by magical symbols. I grabbed Diego's pistol and finished it off with what he had left.

I quickly grabbed the hood and the boots and shook off the orange blood that had oozed on them from the demon. "Come on, Pete, we gotta get out of here. I am sure the Brits heard those gunshots. They'll be here any minute."

"Oh . . . Okay," his voice was still frightened.

"Relax man, I wouldn't have really shot you," I lied. "I just needed to concentrate."

"Right." We grabbed a few more weapons from the dead and then exited out the way we had come in. I was finally on my way to the top.

* * *

* * *

 **To Be Continued...**


	2. Extract the Toxin Pt 2

**Capekillers #7  
Extract the Toxin, Part Two of Four:  
"Hulk and the Agents of Shield"  
By Tim Veselka**

 **Motel 6 – 08:30**

Patrick sat on the edge of his cheap Motel bed, staring at his hands. As he did so he could feel the symbiote writhing around restlessly inside his mind like some slimy eel longing to break free of its aquarium. He fought the tingling he began to feel, somehow it was able to mess with his brain chemistry. It had already tried to coax him into going out with a shot of adrenaline to his brain. Next it had tried to make him horny. That hadn't worked either. Pat had a girlfriend. Now it was trying to relax him, lull him into a false sense of security.

There were some benefits to the tricks it was trying to pull on him. As the creature tried to ease him into a relaxed state he could literally feel the adrenaline it had pumped into his system fade. As his mind calmed he could tell he was thinking more clearly. Still, his memories from Hood's attack on the base were hazy at best. He remembered trying to take on the supervillains, getting injured then everything became foggy.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" He had abandoned his station, and at this point he had been gone for over twenty-four hours. Sure, it hadn't exactly been of his own volition, or at least he was pretty sure it hadn't been, but he doubted that Shield would be so understanding. After all of his hard work and restraint he had lost his reputation in one night. He raked his hand through his auburn hair. He wanted to return to Fort Raymond but he couldn't imagine a scenario where that would play out well for him at all. He was screwed.

There was a strange almost tingling sensation in his head and then a thought, unbidden, popped into his brain. What if he showed Shield he wasn't a bad guy with stopping a robbery or something? He shook his head, the thought hadn't been his own. The alien thing had figured out how to plant thoughts directly into his brain. A small tingle of fear traced its way up his spine. If it had learned how to plant ideas, what else had it figured out?

He had to head back to Shield to separate himself from the symbiote. He knew the thing had great applications in the battlefield, why else would Shield go through the effort of creating a clone of them? If this thing was a weapon he had to get it back to Shield. Him keeping the alien to himself was like a cop sitting on an atom bomb.

The very idea of returning to Fort Raymond caused Patrick's stomach to turn and his neck to tighten painfully. He wasn't sure if it was himself or it was a reaction created by the alien living inside. His stomach squirmed at that idea. Something completely alien, literally, was living inside him, like some parasite eating from his large intestine.

"I can't let my life fall apart!" he shouted out to the room. He didn't know how else to communicate to the thing. "What the hell do you expect me to do?"

An image of the Fort flashed in his mind. No!The thought came very strong and clearly through his consciousness.

"If I don't go back they will hunt us down until they either capture or kill us. Both of us. We have to return to Fort Raymond," Agent Mulligan tried to reason.

No.

"They are international espionage. There will be no escaping them, hell; they even have contacts in space."

There was a pause, no immediate response. He repressed his anxiousness, his need to hear an answer, now. Instead he waited, channeling his anxiety into a desire for the correct answer. He couldn't blame the creature for wanting to avoid the Fort. It had been imprisoned, no room to move, or really even to breath, held in a canister. He could even feel the claustrophobia as he thought about it. Then he realized it was communicating with him still.

"I'll do what I can to make sure you get some freedom," Mulligan told it. "I understand now, I will make sure they do too!"

A slight resistant thought again. He could feel the creature's resolve begin to weaken. He almost felt guilty as he pressed on. Almost. "Tell you what, how about we sneak inside, maybe you can get off me and hide and I can tell them you escaped." He knew it was a lie, he hoped he was hiding that from the alien. His thoughts could easily betray him, he had no idea the depth of insight the thing had inside his thoughts.

A memory suddenly popped into his mind. He was in basic training, sneaking through the jungle to overtake a pretend enemy base. Another memory of seeing his cat stalk his dachshund as it sat chewing on its toy, completely oblivious to its surroundings. Yet another memory of playing "Kick the bucket" with the other kids on the block, sneaking in the alleys until he was sure it was safe. He had the idea.

"I get it. I'll sneak in, and not reveal myself . . . ourselves, until we are sure it is safe," he agreed out loud, unsure how else to communicate.

There was a surge of positive emotion, he couldn't help but let a small smile spread across his lips. They had an agreement.

 **Fort Raymond - 09:00**

Never had the Fort been so quiet with so many inside her gleaming walls and floors. Those in attendance were dressed in their best uniforms, white and silver gleaming, blacks and blues dark and clean. Faces were frozen in solemn expression. No one held a smile, no one spoke or laughed, the only sounds were the occasional stifled sob. Most eyes were cast down. Most eyes were moist with unshed tears, some were openly crying, brows furrowed.

Agent Crowne stood at the head of the group, facing them all in front of a small podium constructed for the occasion. He was dressed in a black business suit, his shirt gleaming white, his tie obsidian black, he wore dark sunglasses inside the main building. His face told a story of thoughtfulness and barely checked sorrow, hidden behind his sunglasses his eyes told another story altogether. Cold calculation was plain in them as he stared into the crowd. Someone had to be a traitor. How else could Hood have known so much about the base?

Harrison stared forward, grim determination on his face. Castillo's eyes were watering, but no tears streaked his face, he was too macho for that. Crowne reasoned it was Castillo's macho Mexican culture that kept him from crying. Cancino looked pissed. Crowne doubted the straight-laced black man was the cause of his grief. Hunter, Crowne had a hard time reading the Asian man, those slanted eyes were hard to read, but tears streamed down the young agent's face. He kept scanning; the Capekillers had been kept under almost constant surveillance. It had to be someone outside the group. Mimic, who was standing, collared, behind the mourning group, had telepathic abilities, perhaps he had something to do with the tragedy before him. Not likely, considering the collar and all telepathic transmissions were heavily monitored by the psi-division.

There were far too many agents present for him to scrutinize each of them personally while he delivered his eulogy. He had to figure out who he could trust among them all. Crowne let out a long controlled breath to settle himself. It was time to put on the act.

"Agent Melinda Barrows, Agent Crystal Bradley, Agent Alferos Cisneros, Agent Rory Farland, Agent Evelyn Grant, Agent Christopher Jordan, Agent Kenneth Morrow, Agent Patricia Worth." He let the names of each of the agents that had fallen in battle take effect. There was already a good deal more agents crying silently before him. Good. The more emotionally unstable they were the more likely they were to accept the surprise he had in store for them.

"These seven agents were close to many of us. Here at Fort Raymond there are so few of us that we have all grown close over the short time we have been here. Each agent killed in the line of duty is a family member or fond friend lost to us. There is no way I could truly sum up these eight lost comrades in the span of a short speech. Each was an agent of Shield, true, each was a good friend, but each was an individual. Some might remember agent Barrows for her amazing filing abilities and organizational skills, but for some it will be the scent of her shampoo or the way she would smile every time her eyes connected with yours. Each agent means something personal to each of us that no one else could possibly understand."

A few more were bawling, it seemed the comment about Barrows' smile had caused the most to break out in tears. For a moment Crowne had to fight back a smile, even as his chin, with great practice, trembled in time with his bottom lip.

"These agents were some of our greatest assets and our dearest friends, but today isn't about us. It isn't about what we, as individuals, have lost. No. It's about these eight brave fallen agents. It's about what them, and what they would have wanted. As we shed our well-earned tears let's not forget what agent Jordan and the others would have wanted."

He hoped he had them now.

"They wouldn't have wanted us to remain in sorrow. They were agents of Shield! They knew that our mission came with risks. They would want their fellow agents to stand proud and catch the bastards that did this! They would want us to stamp out the evil that had ended their lives!" He spoke with all the energy of a preacher at his pulpit. He had his fist raised and he could feel the vein in his forehead pulsing. He slowly calmed himself.

"With that in mind I wanted to give you a reason to believe we could take out Hood and his little bastard group of villains. I would like to present our very own Hulk!"

There was a gasp and everyone turned their heads. The temperature in the room rose by several degrees as an orange-red glow preceded its owner. A scarlet-skinned behemoth walked through main doors, it looked every inch the Hulk that all of them had studied in training. The glaring difference was bright red-colored skin, but there were other more subtle differences. This one had black hair, and black fingernails, and eerily glowing yellow eyes.

Crowne fought to maintain his subtle smile as the massive creature snorted and sneered in disgust at the gathered crowed of mourners.

"Lame," it said in a gravelly voice before turning around and walking away with a shake of its head.

Shocked silence choked the room and it didn't take the ugly glares on most the agents' faces to tell Crowne his idea hadn't exactly gone over well. He didn't care.

 **The New York Hilton Midtown, NYC – 09:30**

Steam filled the bathroom as the shower rained down on the blonde's perfect body. Eric sat, shrunken down to the size of an ant, watching, drooling under his helmet. He had tried to do this the nice way, but the snobby bitch had rolled her eyes at his invitation to dance last night. He even later politely offered to walk her to her room and for some reason she had gotten even more irritated. So he followed her instead, then simply walked in, well, being the size of a flea does get you to those "hard to reach places". Eric smirked as she slowly slid the soap across her supple frame.

"Oh yeah, come on," Eric hated that he had to keep the suit on to stay small. Being able to take it off would come in very handy right now. The woman had just squirt shampoo into her hand (that had made Eric choke) when an annoying beeping started.

"You left your alarm on, lady," Eric motioned with his hand back toward the suite, as if she could see him. "It's really killing the mood."

"Warning!" a voice said right in Eric's ear.

"What the?"

"Warning, the tracker on your suit has been activated." The very neutral voice stated. "Your trackers will locate you within two minutes."

"Aww come on!" Eric groaned. He turned and leaped from the shower rod and ignited his boot jets. They propelled him through the seemingly massive crack in the door and into the main suite where he landed with a small thud, just as he regained his normal size.

"Hello?" the woman's frightened voice came from the bathroom. The shower was quickly shut off. Rolling his eyes Eric sprinted toward her hall door and shrank again, firing his jets once more. They carried him to the door, a little too high. Eric winced as he saw the door flying toward him at incredible speed. He collided with the door. Hard. The suit protected him from most the impact, but it still took the breath out of him for a second. It was a split-second later he realized he had stuck to the door, his hands and feet using some sort of electro-static technology to keep him clinging to the door.

"Suit, shut off the wall crawling," Eric demanded. The suit complied. He dropped what seemed like twenty feet. Really it was an inch. Lucky for him the suit's exoskeleton kept him from feeling the brunt of it. He raced under the door just as he heard the woman stumble out of the bathroom, shouting.

"If it's you, you red-headed pervert stalker, I swear to God I am going to gut you like a fish!" Eric snickered as he burst out the other side of the door and regrew.

"Good luck with that," he glanced about trying to find an escape route. He should have guessed that Shield had a tracker on the suit. He should have gone straight back to the base but he just wanted to have a little fun after living the sterile life on Fort Raymond.

"Suit?" Eric had learned the suit was at least intelligent enough to answer some of his basic questions. He wanted to see what more it could do. "Can you locate the trackers?" He spotted an obvious stairway door and raced toward it. He could see that it was armed with an alarm. He shrunk as the suit made a strange sound in his ear.

Eric's display suddenly lit up, a line map of the nearby area and the inside of the Hilton overlapped his display of outside his helmet. It was like playing video game. In fact it reminded Eric of GTA 5. He loved GTA. There was a red blip somewhere across the street and judging from the black arrow in the middle of the red dot it was heading his way.

"Can you map a possible escape route?" Eric asked as he raced down the stairwell. He still wanted to come back to Shield he just wanted to do it of his own volition and not be dragged in kicking and screaming like a spoiled child. None of the others thought much of him and he wanted to show them he could be trusted to get what was needed. He wasn't worthless. He didn't care what the other Agents said, not what his ex-girlfriend said and not what his father said, he wasn't worthless.

"Proceed down the stairs until you get to the second floor."

"The second floor."

"This is the quickest escape route." Was Eric hearing things or was the suit getting snippy with him? He didn't care as long as it got him out before Shield showed up. He could see the dot crossing the street. It would be in the hotel in a matter of seconds.

"Proceed through the second floor door and then make a right down the hall."

Eric pushed his way through the steel door and immediately an alarm sounded. He groaned. "Suit, why didn't you warn me about the alarm?"

"Was your front display malfunctioning?" Well that confirmed it, the suit definitely had an attitude. Great.

"Where to now?"

"Turn right."

"And then?"

"I will tell you when the next objective is near."

"Suit, this isn't gonna work out between you and me."

"You are wasting what little time you have left, agent O'Grady."

"We've got to get this worked out," Eric shook his head and he raced to his right.

"Too late."

"What do you mean?"

"They're here."

Eric spun around and ignited one of his boot jets, not enough to propel him too much backward but enough to surprise and unsuspecting agent and burn him. A dark figure dove to his right, avoiding the blaze. Eric raised his arm to aim, he had some "stingers" on his wrist and he was about to see what they could do.

"Don't do it!" a shout rang out.

"It's you!" Eric looked surprised at the person standing before him. "You're the old man from the club, aren't you?"

Indeed it was the older gentleman dressed all in black in a sleek outfit, the tools of his trade strapped to his waist and a few other well-chosen places. In his hand was a Shield beacon. It had been the old man that had been tracking him.

"What the hell is going on here?" Eric demanded. "Just exactly who are you old man?"

"Black Fox, a jewel thief, mostly." The man shrugged his shoulders. "I ummm . . . appropriated this dandy little device as soon as I found out you were missing."

"What? Why? What's your game, old man?"

"It's Black Fox, really now. I can see why you have trouble getting along with your old colleagues at Shield."

"Speak!" Eric demanded shoving his stingers directly at Black Fox's chest.

"I was hoping you had changed your mind about our little arrangement," Black Fox smiled under his bushy white mustache.

"Not on your life."

"Well I was going over my figures and I could offer you several million more if you like," Black Fox offered patiently.

"The answer's still no," Eric relaxed a little stepping back from his threatening position.

"What if I offered you a chance to get back at the bastards who embarrassed you in front of all your colleagues?" Black Fox's blue eyes sparkled despite his age.

"You know how we can get back at them?"

"Oh yes, I know all about Hood and his little entourage."

"Why didn't you say so to start with?"

"Haven't I told you? I hate violence."

"Ha! I think I am going to like you after all, Black Fox."

 **Fort Raymond - The Next Day**

Cancino and Hunter looked nervously at each other. Before them stood the crimson Hulk, his massive muscles rippling underneath his leathery red hide. They had just been decked out with the latest in Shield tech armor but when compared with the crimson behemoth it seemed woefully inadequate. The Red Hulk smirked as it clenched its fists and advanced on them.

"I don't think I am ready for this," Hunter groaned.

On the sidelines watched Harrison next to Mimic and Constrictor, Crowne sat in an observation room above them all. Cancino grimaced as he activated his arm shield.

"Come on, Hunter," Cancino charged toward the slowly advancing Red Hulk, taking aim with his wrist-mounted gun. "You don't want the villains to see your ass get handed to you, do you?"

"Damn," Hunter joined his friend's charge, unwilling to see Cancino face the Red Hulk alone, even if it was just practice.

Cancino opened fire, sparks trailed up the Red Hulk's chest to no seeming effect, but once Cancino's bullets began hitting the monster's neck the behemoth winced. Then narrowed his eyes on the Shield agent.

"I think you just pissed him off."

"Cover me!"

"With what?"

"Improvise!" Panic was beginning to set in when the Red Hulk let loose with an ear-shattering roar leaped toward Cancino.

A grenade from Hunter exploded in the scarlet monster's chest, knocking him off course mid-air. It landed with a thud that could be felt by all in the building. Smoke curled up from its pectorals as it once again turned its baleful yellow glare onto the two armored Shield agents.

"Can we end practice now?" Hunter begged into his mic.

"We're just getting started," the Hulk snorted. It ran toward them this time. Neither of them had much time to react before the thing was upon them. Hunter had time to choke out a scream before being smashed aside by a simple flick of the wrist. Cancino managed to actually raise his shield in front of him before the Red Hulk's fist shattered the energy barrier. The next few seconds were going to be very painful for Cancino.

"Ouch!" Mimic winced at the sight as Cancino was picked up bodily and smashed into the floor, then tossed aside like a used rag. The Red Hulk turned its attention back on the trembling Hunter who was still attempting to regain his feet from before.

"Man I knew Shield was shit, but I had no idea they treated their people this bad," Constrictor curled a lip as Red Hulk picked up Hunter by his armor.

"Enough!" Harrison shouted angrily. His face was almost as red as the Hulk's. "That is enough! This is practice!"

The Red Hulk didn't put Hunter down but instead held him there above his head.

"Crowne, tell your little science project that he's done enough!"

"Yes, Hulk," Crowne's sneering superior voice oozed through the comm system. "You've proved enough to me today. Put the agent down. After all, I won't be needing him anymore after what you have shown me here today."

"This isn't a challenge!" the Red Hulk protested, still holding the Shield agent. "Let me face those other two over there." The Hulk nodded at Mimic and Constrictor.

"Shit," Constrictor croaked.

"Do as I say," Crowne's voice suddenly lost all humor.

The Red Hulk lowered Hunter to the floor but nudged him roughly aside with his massive foot while Crowne descended the stairs to come join them.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Harrison barked, glowering at his superior.

"It means," Crowne looked at Harrison as if the other man was mentally challenged. "That with the Red Hulk here and the other two criminals we now won't be needing to spend our budget on those worthless armored suits for your agents to wear. We will only need one agent with them in the field at a time, for control."

"Take your men to the infirmary," Crowne waved his hand dismissively toward the exit. "Take Mimic and Constrictor to their cell while you are at it."

The two armored agents propped each other up and filed out the door behind Harrison. Mimic and Constrictor took one last glance at the new member of their odd little group and followed the agents out the door.

"I don't know how the agents are feeling but I don't trust the new Hulk guy as far as I could throw him. Which ain't very far."

"He makes you seem almost like a decent guy," Mimic jabbed. "Which is saying a lot. I don't think I like him at all. His mind feels like all rage and confusion."

"Is he even human or just some LMD that Shield cooked up?"

"LMD? Isn't that a drug?"

"Life Model Decoy, it's those things that Shield uses to fool you into thinking you are meeting the real Nick Fury when it's really just a sophisticated robot."

"Creepy."

"That's no Life Model Decoy," Harrison interrupted them. "Watch your backs around that thing, he doesn't seem to like you criminals any better than us."

 **Fort Raymond - Later**

"You have got to love this new hand of mine!" Agent Lucas was grinning ear to ear as an attachment came out from under his fingernail and slid into the lock.

"I can't bear to watch," Agent Humphries looked away in dismay as it happened.

Lucas glanced back in annoyance. He didn't know what had happened after they had captured Constrictor but Humphries had been acting weird ever since. "I think it's great. Fancy us having to try and pick a lock while our quarry got away."

"What do you mean try?" Wounded pride oozed from Humphries' voice.

"You know how to pick a lock? You never told me that. Where'd ya pick that up?"

"One does pick things up here and there in the business," Humphries sniffed. "You just never mind and open that door, the lock was picked minutes ago."

Lucas opened the door and went inside, of course they weren't actually after a quarry. It was their new temporary apartment while they searched for O'Grady.

"Home sweet home," Lucas laughed disparagingly. A few dead cockroaches littered the counters and at least six months of dust coated everything.

"I do want to apologize for what happened to your hand."

"Blimey! You're not still on about that are ya?" Lucas exploded, his face reddening in annoyance. This was at least the eighty-sixth time Humphries had apologized. "Look, it's all part of the job, I knew it could happen, now get over it!"

Lucas stomped off to the bathroom and slammed the door behind him in annoyance. Humphries stood frozen to the spot, his eyes slowly filling with tears.

 **Hood's Hideout - 15:00**

Hood glanced at the villains assembled before him. Joystick, though she was rash and young she was a hell of a fighter and a decent thief. Spider Woman, a crazier woman Hood would be hard-pressed to find but she was a powerhouse all of her own. Porcupine, he was new to the business and for Hood that was a good thing, the last Porcupine would have been second-guessing him every five seconds. Last there was Griffin, hard to control but about as strong as they come without doubling his price tag. Blue Streak had been a weak link, one that had been taken care of. Now, Hood was about to introduce another member of the gang.

"Latest intel says that Shield is having trouble finding O'Grady's signal as well," Hood told them. "I never meant for any of you to have to do tech work, that was Blue Streak's job. Since he isn't around anymore I figured I would find someone to take his place."

Faces went from mildly curious to scowls of annoyance. Another gang member meant another percentage of the spoils going to someone else.

"Welcome Lightmaster!" Hood motioned for the armored villain to enter the room. "He is going to solve our little technical difficulties and get us our prize. The Lightmaster simply nodded at his new cohorts, recognizing that none of them seemed particularly welcoming. Of course some of them wore masks that completely obscured their expressions, including himself.

"With Lightmaster's technical skills nothing should stop us from getting what we want."

 **Tales from the Hood, part 2:  
"Looking to the Future"**

 **Parker Robbins' Hood - One Year Ago**

Jock Francois was such an idiot. He called his gun the Equalizer, he thought that just because he had a gun his scrawny ass was equal to the rest of us on the streets. As if a gun was ever enough on the streets of New York. Not with people like me on the loose. Like I said the guy is an idiot. I stared at him from underneath my invisible hood.

It had been a few weeks since I had "found" the Hood and already I was getting the hang of it. I knew how to turn myself invisible, how to run up walls, and a few other nice tricks. In fact I was invisible as I watched Jock get ready to jump a young couple on MY turf. Idiot.

"Don't even think about it," I menaced. As I spoke the words I became visible, but the second I held my breath again I became invisible once more.

Jock spun around, sweat bursting from his forehead, and some other places as well. I could smell him, another wonder of the Hood. "Who said that?" His eyes were practically bulging from their sockets their glassy white standing out against his dark chocolate skin. He spun his gun left to right, unable to spot anyone. He looked away for just a second. That was all I needed.

"Me."

He turned again, just as the young couple crossed the alleyway. If those two were going to be robbed I was going to profit. Everyone knew this was my turf.

"I don't see you," Jock's voice was trembling now. I climbed the wall above his head so he wouldn't see me when I spoke again. It was as easy as walking down the street when you were wearing demon boots.

"I know," I made sure he could hear my shit-eating grin in my voice. I leaped from the wall down to the alley. In complete silence, thanks to the boots. Jock spun and fired, the bullet "twanged" as it ricocheted off the brick wall.

"What do you want?" He was breathing heavy now, he spun his head about, trying to catch a glimpse of me. I smirked. This was too easy. Until my cell phone rang. The sound revealed my location to Jock and he spun the gun once more. No way I was going to risk getting shot by some punk kid. I let loose with both of my cursed pistols. One bullet slammed itself solidly into his chest, bursting through his heart and getting stuck in the spine on the way out. The other bullet grazed his head and seared away his hair and skin. He died before his body hit the ground.

"Dammit!" I grabbed the phone to see who it was. Ariana. She was a good woman but the bitch's attitude was wearing thin. Now that I had moved up maybe it was time I found myself a new woman. One that knew how to keep her mouth shut.

"Yeah what is it?"

"Baby it's me."

"Yeah I know. I told you I was working and you can't be calling me at work."

"I know, baby, but this is an emergency."

Adrenaline tickled its way up my spine. "What's the fire? Tell me what's up baby. You can't joke with me like that."

"I ain't joking baby, I need you home, please."

"Then tell me what's the matter."

"Please baby, I don't want to tell you over the phone. Please."

"Fine," I let her hear the sullen and exasperated tone in my voice. She better start learning she can't interrupt my business for her dumb-ass drama. This better be one hell of an emergency. 

**Parker Robbins' New Apartment - 30 Minutes Later**

"Alright, Ariana I'm home, now what's the big emergency!" I yelled as soon as I was through the door. My new apartment was four times the size of my last one. It pays to be on top.

"Baby!" Ariana came rushing from the kitchen, her arms reaching for me, tears streaming from her eyes. I automatically grabbed for one of my guns. What the hell was going on here? Seeing me reach for my gun Ariana shrieked and jumped back.

"What the hell, Ariana?"

"What are you doing with that thing?"

"You're bawling like you were just attacked! What the hell am I supposed to think when you come running at me crying like the world is over?"

"Oh baby," She dove into my arms and I grab her with my gun-free hand. "I am just so scared I don't know what to do."

"Scared?" I looked down at her red, puffy eyes. "What the hell do you have to be scared of? Your husband's one of the toughest guys in town and you live in the nicest apartment for miles."

"I'm pregnant."

I felt like someone smacked me with a bag of bricks across the face. I stood still and silent while she sniffled anxiously in my arms.

"Baby?" her voice was pleading, even more afraid.

What the hell was I supposed to say? I wasn't ready for a kid. I had just started moving up. I wasn't established yet. What was I going to do? What was I supposed to do? 

**To Be Continued . . .**

 **Next: Capekillers #8:** The Hood has the plans to Shield's Ant-man suit and is going to sell them off to the highest bidder, you'll never guess who comes to save the day.


	3. Extract the Toxin Pt 3: Heist

**Capekillers #8**

 **Extract the Toxin, Part Three of Four:**

 **"Heist"**

 **By Tim Veselka**

 **Fort Raymond – 23:30**

Patrick Mulligan was shocked at what he saw as he crawled along the side of what he believed a storage building. There was a gaping hole in the main building and signs of a battle all over. No wonder security had been so tight, the attack he barely remembered had been far worse than he thought. His team, Shield, everything he had stood with and for had been under attack. What had he done? Disappeared on all those that had relied on him. He had to make it right.

He started to crawl toward the ground when suddenly his suit froze. He couldn't move. A pair of guards, armed with pulse rifles and impact armor rounded the corner below him.

"I still can't believe Mulligan betrayed us, anybody could have guessed O'Grady was a traitor, but not Mulligan. The guy used to be a cop."

"Just goes to show you, you never know. Doesn't matter what we think anyway, Crowne's labeled them both traitors. Taken alive if we can, but kill them if we must and all that."

"Damn you're dark."

"Wasn't me who said it."

"You _just_ said it!"

"You know what I mean. . ."

Their voices faded with distance. Patrick held stone still for several moments, the suit had long ago given him back control. In a whirl, he spun and clambered up the wall like a feral animal, with a snarl he was gone into the night, his mind aswirl with rage and anguish.

 **The Next Day, 5:30 AM**

Agent Cancino groaned as he tossed the sheets off himself. As squad leader, he only had to share his room with one other agent. However, the agent had yet to show himself for a single day of duty. Cancino knew his roommate's name, agent Lucas, but he had never met him or heard of him before. He found it suspicious.

He should just let it go and enjoy the fact he had his own room, but with all the recent strange events he found himself growing suspicious of everything. What had happened? Just a few years ago he had been full of pride and hope as he joined Shield, the protectors of the world. Now he was working with criminals, his base in shambles, his top commander being as shady as they came.

He stepped into his uniform, he should be more motivated than ever since the attack but instead, he just felt depressed. It might have something to the bruises that covered his body, given to him by a strange new red Hulk. It seems Shield had little regard for his life, let alone his safety. He knew his life would be at risk at some point but not at the order of Shield.

He tried to shake the poisonous thoughts from his head, they would do him no good. He no longer had any control over his own fate, he'd signed that away years ago to the spy organization.

A loud rapping knock echoed from his door. He was still on personal recovery time. Who could that be? Cancino answered his door.

"How are ya feeling, Cancino?" Harrison stood at his door.

"What's this about?"

Harrison looked at him evenly for a moment in silence, then he let out a heavy sigh. "Crowne wants you and Hunter back on active duty."

"Are you kidding me?" Cancino's bottled up resentment started to bubble up. "I am off-duty on doctor's orders!"

"The doctor changed his mind."

"Crowne?"

Harrison merely nodded.

"That son of a bitch is gonna get his."

"Not today." Harrison sounded disappointed. "Now suit up and get Hunter, we're meeting in my office at 0600."

"Yes, sir, " Cancino tried to pull himself together. It wasn't Harrison's fault that asshole Crowne was running things. Harrison closed the door behind himself as Cancino reached for his gun.

Moments later he was in Hunter's quarters that he shared with five other lower-ranking agents. All of them were already on their way to breakfast. Cancino wasn't surprised to see Hunter taking full advantage of his medical leave, lounging in bed playing his 3DS.

"Get up, we've been placed back on active duty, " Cancino didn't have the patience for Hunter's antics this morning.

"What?" Hunter groaned. "That's impossible."

"I know, " Cancino barked. "We were given medical leave, but thanks to that oily creep of an agent, Crowne, our doctor changed his mind."

"What? Dammit!"

"You said it, man, " Cancino threw Hunter's shirt at him.

The pair arrived in Harrison's office not a few moments later. Everyone else was already there, Agent Harrison stood with Castillo, impatiently waiting, next to the criminals, Mimic and Constrictor. Red Hulk, thankfully, was not present.

"Now that you are all here, it seems the Ant-Man suit's tracker has been disabled. That being said, we have found the missing symbiote's bio-signature on the scanners. Thankfully, it hasn't gotten very far. We are going to track that symbiote down and bring it back, alive. I know that Crowne said that we don't need you three but the Red Hulk is under evaluation right now and since part of this is a search he wanted as many bodies on this mission as possible."

"Are we going to get scanners to help us find it?" Constrictor asked. His long history with Shield made him skeptical.

"I'll have a scanner and I will help to coordinate you from a central location," Harrison flashed a device that looked a lot like a smartphone.

"How will you know where we are?" Mimic didn't like the idea of hunting down a symbiote, those things looked nasty.

"We've got trackers in those collars of yours," Harrison growled. "Besides, you'll be helping me coordinate everyone with that telepathy of yours." Mimic groaned. "Time to get to work boys, Hunter, Cancino, Castillo suit up!" The three agents charged off with hard lines for mouths, Harrison walked out and across the hall to the bathroom.

"So now we're hunting our own kind down?" Mimic turned to Constrictor.

"What do you mean, our own kind?" Constrictor glanced up at him with a sneer. "You and me ain't even of a kind."

"I'm talking about criminals, when we get out of here we'll never live this down. We'll be pariah's even amongst the criminals."

"Speak for yourself," Constrictor rolled his eyes. "I'm a mercenary I fight for whoever pays the most, it's professional nothing personal."

"I'm not so sure."

"And I don't care."

"Why do you always have to-"

"Would you two stop squabbling like an old couple and get your asses to the entryway so we can get moving as soon as those agents are done suiting up?" Harrison interrupted as he entered the room again.

Neither of them moved. Harrison silently gestured one thick jabbing finger toward the hallway. This time they followed direction.

 **The Infirmary – 6:00 AM**

Agent Crowne's footsteps echoed as he entered the recovery room. It was rare that it was so crowded but the attack had injured a lot of agents. Most were well enough to convalesce in their own quarters but some were still in critical condition. Several agents were patched up with blood still seeping through their bandages, one was missing a limb, but Crowne wasn't here to see them, so he didn't.

Separated from the rest of the patients lay a man with more machine parts than human, his head shaved for surgery. His blue eyes fluttered open and closed fading in and out of consciousness. He was the only patient chained to their bed. Crowne made a beeline for him and grabbed the clip at the end of the bed.

The man caught a glimpse of Crowne's smug grin and cold hard eyes and tried to force himself awake. He managed to keep his eyes open for a moment.

"Hello, Donald Thomas," Crowne's voice was thick as honey.

"Don," the man that had been known as Blue Streak managed.

"Well Donald, I'm glad to see you are recovering," Crowne continued as the man faded out for a second. "Congratulations on surviving being shot in the head and an even more well-deserved congratulations for surviving your procedure."

"Procedure?" that was waking Don up.

"As soon as you are all better we have an opening on the team, just for you. Welcome to the Capekillers, Mr. Thomas."

"No!" Don was very awake now, his bloodshot eyes wide open. "I won't be a part of your little suicide squad!"

"You don't have a choice, Donald." Crowne's smile grew even wider. With that, Crowne turned and left the room, never once glancing at the rest of the patients. Don Thomas moaned in despair, he had already worked for Shield before and he hated it then. He was sure he wouldn't like it any better now. His moans echoed unanswered in the recovery room.

 **Downtown NYC, 10:00 AM**

If Shield had any idea of what was happening in the old Von Strucker building they would have swarmed the placed like wasps on a beehive. The place was filled to the brim with the super-powered and scientific lowlifes of New York. Men and women in brightly colored costumes milled about elbow to elbow with mad scientists in shabby lab coats. At the center of it all was the Hood.

Parker Robbins, dressed in his usual scarlet cloak with simple jeans and t-shirt underneath. No one questioned his attire at running such a fabulously wealthy event, chances was theirs was stranger. Just like he had always wanted, Parker fit right in with the crazy powerhouses of the New York criminal underworld.

"Alright!" Parker called out, his red hood somehow magnifying his voice. The din of the terrifying crowd dimmed to a quiet hum. "I know what you are all here for, so let's get down to business."

A number of movers and shakers of the criminal world were in attendance. Slinking amongst them was an older man dressed all in black with shocking white hair and thick old-school mustache. His name was Raul Chambers but the rest of the criminals in the room would know him better as the Black Fox. He wasn't a New York constant, his heists led him all over the world from China to Providence, so he wasn't the most instantly recognizable of villains. Any thief worth their salt knew his reputation well. It was lucky, then, for Raul Chambers that the Hood wasn't much of a thief. Not that the Hood had any reason to dislike the Black Fox, yet, but Black Fox hadn't been invited.

"Many of you know very well how closely Shield guards its tech and its secrets," Hood began some speech. He didn't notice the Black Fox whispering lowly as he pressed a finger against his ear. He certainly didn't notice the ant-sized man scaling the podium he was using to address the criminals before him.

Eric O'Grady was using little blasts from his boot jets to help climb the grappling line that was stored in his gauntlets. "Great," he was mumbling to himself. "It's bad enough I had to climb that damn rope in training. I'm gonna be stuck doing a lot of this as a miniature thief. Maybe being Ant-Man wasn't such a great idea."

He reached a shelf inside the wooden podium. Bingo! The thumb drive they had stolen from Fort Raymond was sitting right inside the shelf. Eric pulled out the thumb drive he and Black Fox had brought along with them, nearly identical in appearances. He walked toward the drive, easily larger than a bus to him.

That was when Hood reached for the drive.

"Fox!" Eric shouted as he charged forward. "Distraction, now!" Eric kicked at the drive, he started to kick it hard but stopped himself short, remembering his proportionate strength. He tapped it with his foot sending it spinning a few inches from where it had been. Hood's first reach missed. His massive hand nearly squashed Eric as he began fumbling around for it. Eric dodged Parker's thumb and was grazed by his palm. Hood's hand froze in reaction.

"How do we know what you say is really true? I've never even heard of you before now?" Black Fox suddenly shouted out.

Lightmaster, who had been standing at the edge of the crowd, floated upwards and towards Fox. Hood lifted his hand to stop his minion.

Taking advantage of his reprieve Eric quickly shrunk Shield's drive with a blast from his left wrist and tucked into one of his suit's many little storage places. He placed his replaced fake drive and ran, blasting it with his right wrist to regrow it back to its original size. He did so just in time as Hood reached for the drive again, and this time located it.

"I have it right here to show everyone and prove it is what I say it is," Hood said through clenched teeth. "Unfortunately for you, you will never get to see the schematics. If you don't know me then you shouldn't be here. You should leave before I let Lightmaster show you the way out."

"Fine." Black Fox turned and walked.

Hood motioned to Porcupine who had been skulking in the shadows. The villains emerged and Hood whispered into his ear.

"Follow him, and make sure he doesn't have anything to do with Shield," Porcupine nodded and stalked off in the direction Fox had exited.

He followed Fox out a side door and into an alley where the man now stood at the opening holding a finger to his ear. There was a flash of light behind him and before he could react the Porcupine was convulsing then fell to the alley floor, out cold. Eric stood over him, his wrist-mounted stun gun still sparking.

"You ought to be more careful, old man," Eric smirked. "You were being followed."

"It was necessary so I could save you," Raul turned and smiled at his partner. "Did you get the goods?"

Eric held up the drive. "What are you going to buy first? I'm gonna buy myself some really nice company if you know what I mean."

"Let's get out of here before the gentleman here wakes up," Raul nodded at Porcupine. "After that, I am going to buy myself a yacht. Sail around the world."

"Do you really think it'll be worth that much?" Eric asked incredulously as the pair dove into the old man's Mercedes.

"No," Black Fox admitted as he started his car. "But I'm already halfway there, I've been career since before you were born."

"That just makes you old."

"And rich and experienced."

 **Near Fort Raymond, 10:42 AM**

Agent Lucas wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for. The way they had described it to him 'think of a slimy super swoll Spider-man' didn't exactly help him form an accurate depiction of his target in his mind. Humphries was in the passenger seat next to him with a pair of ostentatious sunglasses made to look like the sun setting perched on his somewhat thin nose. The nearly middle-aged Shield agent looked somewhere between a rock star and ridiculous. He never failed to make Lucas laugh.

"I wouldn't suppose you might have a clue what this mysterious stranger we are looking for looks like?" Humphries has been in the game longer after all.

"Well," Humphries turned to him grinning largely, the rather large gap between his front teeth was made obvious. Humphries had always hated that gap, Lucas found it rather endearing when he wasn't busy being annoyed with his partner. "I was thinking about Spider-man, you know how you do, and I just couldn't imagine Spider-man being slimy."

"I imagine you thought a lot about Spider-man."

"I _did_!"

"Well let's hope that helps us find this alien slime spider person," Lucas was craning his neck about for even a glance of Project: Toxin.

"Do you suppose he is just Spider-man going through a change?" Humphries seemed quite sincere to Lucas.

"There he is!" Lucas slammed on the brakes. They skidded to a stop.

"Where?"

"On top of that condemned mall," Lucas pointed toward a complex of buildings cut off from the road. Of course. Humphries didn't see a thing.

"Are you sure?"

"It was definitely slimy Spider-man."

"I am horrified."

"Let's go!" Lucas jumped out of the car.

"Wait!" Humphries cried. He struggled against his seatbelt and finally stumbled out of the vehicle.

"Come along!" Lucas cried impatiently.

Humphries grabbed a waiting Lucas by the shoulders. Lucas jerked himself away, frowning at Humphries.

"What was that?"

"We're supposed to call in the Capekillers," Humphries reminded him.

"We can do that on the way in," Lucas turned to go again.

"No! We must call them in first!" demanded Humphries in a high pitched voice.

Lucas winced. "You've never demanded that before. You've always been glad to grab our man before anyone else could get their hands on him. What's with you?"

"Nothing." Humphries lied.

Lucas' face reddened and his eyes bulged ever so slightly, "Fine. Let's call in the Capekillers." His voice was measured and even. Humphries gulped.

"Base, this is Lucas, we've spotted our toxic target," Lucas said a little too loudly into the radio built into his suit.

"Hold still for one moment while we locate you," a female agent's voice answered back. "Our sensors indicate you are on Old Wharf road and Downing street, can you confirm?"

"Location confirmed," Lucas snapped, his eyes not leaving his partner's face. Humphries frowned.

"Are you ready?" Lucas demanded.

Humphries opened his mouth to protest.

"Let's go," Lucas said forcefully. Without waiting for Humphries' reply Lucas turned and charged into the mall.

Luckily for them both the Capekillers weren't far. As Humphries pursued Lucas from the second floor of the largest building in the whole condemned lot, to the third floor he heard the roaring of a large vehicle. A massive Shield riot van came bursting through the wide paths that made the mall devoid of vehicles. It screeched to a halt.

 **Elsewhere . . .**

Patrick Mulligan knew he'd been spotted when the two men came "sneaking" into the abandoned mall he had taken refuge in. He stood in his civilian identity on the rail looking down three levels as they entered the front doors. He knew exactly who they were, he had seen them on the base when he first arrived but he didn't know their names, they had to be partners as one was never seen without the other. Patrick shrunk away from the entrance of the clothing store he had sequestered himself into.

It was a Dillards or something like it. Patrick looked around for a way to lose the pair in the displays. He spotted an escalator towards the back, and started to walk. The sound of screeching tires reached his ears and he quickened his pace. This was bad. If those were normal Shield agents then he had a pretty decent chance of getting out of there uninjured. If that was the Capekillers then he had no idea how he was going to escape.

"Spread out!" he heard Harrison's voice shout. Well shit. It was the Capekillers. He ran. What had he been thinking? What made him believe he could escape the world-wide spy agency? Dumb, dumb, dumb dumb. Now there was no way they saw him as anything other than a traitor and he knew all too well what they did to traitors. He sprinted up the escalators, time to make a swift retreat through the same route he had entered, the roof exit.

He smashed his way through several locked 'employees only' doors, knocking more than one startled young salespeople on their ass. Finally he reached the stairway door that led to the roof, only for someone to open the door for him.

"Holy-!" Constrictor blurted out. For just the smallest of seconds the two stared in shock at each other. Patrick leaped backward with Constrictor reacting just as fast. The Capekiller thrust a hand forward, a shimmering metal coil snaked forward and snatched Patrick's ankle. Damn, he was fast!

Constrictor slammed him into the floor. Before he had joined with the Toxin symbiote it would knocked the wind from his lungs and cracked at least a few ribs. All it did now was make him see stars for just a second. Constrictor dragged him forward, the other coil lashing out of its sheath. There was no way Patrick was going to let his other ankle be grabbed.

Patrick grabbed the coil as it reached his ankle and yanked Constrictor unexpectedly forward. The Capekiller stumbled, just enough for the coil to loosen slightly. With a backwards flip Patrick leaped out of the coil and out of Constrictor's reach. He glared at Constrictor and hissed. He hadn't even notice the symbiote cover him protectively in it's oozing substance. That wasn't good, he needed to address that but now wasn't the time as Constrictor came charging forward, coils lashing almost with a life of their own.

"He's up here on the top floor," Constrictor grunted between swipes at a dodging Toxin. "I caught him trying to rabbit through the roof."

"Had to call your little friends?" Patrick didn't even recognize the voice that was issuing from his own mouth. "You know I can smell your fear."

"You need to get your nose checked you two-bit Venom," Constrictor smirked.

"Better than being half a Doctor Octopus," Toxin's tongue slid out of his mouth and licked the drool that had begun dripping from his mouth. "You smell like you need to bathe but you'll still taste good."

"Your an agent of Shield, you're not gonna go eatin' anybody," Constrictor rolled his eyes visibly. "Nice try, boy scout."

"You forget," Patrick smiled widely as he said it. "I WAS an agent of Shield. I'm a traitor, what makes you think I have any problem with ending you here and now."

That did make Constrictor pause. Patrick/Toxin took advantage and leaped forward, fangs exposed and claws bared.

"Jesus!" Constrictor dropped tumbling to the floor. Toxin's claws raked across his bulletproof uniform and still managed to rend the material. Constrictor came to a halt on his back and looked up to spot Toxin, but he was too late.

The symbiote was already on him, its voice screeching an unearthly sound. The elongated and taloned fingers wrapped around Frank's throat and squeezed. His coils wrapped themselves around Toxin's massive slimy arms and squeezed desperately. It was no good, the symbiote was too strong for him. Frank clawed at the hands around his neck. His face was already a deep red and his ears were ringing.

His vision was already begin to fade.

He squeezed at the vice-like fingers, but he couldn't gain purchase as his strength began to fail him. This couldn't be the way he went out. He had taken on the Hulk and survived. He had lost but still he had survived the Hulk. This third-rate symbiote couldn't be the one to take him down, it couldn't be.

Just as his vision was going back something flashed brightly over them. Slowly, stupidly, Frank's brain realized that the deadly hands were no longer wrapped around his throat. He could breathe. He almost cried. He could breathe. He finally drew in a short ragged breath, his throat on fire. His ears were ringing so loudly he barely made out someone was calling his name but breathing was all Frank could manage. There was another flash of light. Bright specks flew through his vision as oxygen finally reached his brain again and consciousness began to fully reassert itself.

Where was a the target? Was he still in danger? Coughing and choking Frank finally managed move his head just as the large form of Calvin Rankin fell over him.

"Frank! Frank!" Calvin shouting in his face.

"Jesus, Cal, lower your decibels will ya?" Frank waved at his co-worker.

"I thought I had been too late!"

"Where's that damn renegade agent?" Frank suddenly remembered why he was laying on the cold tile floor.

"He ran."

"You let him escape?" Frank demanded with a hoarse voice.

"I was a little more worried about saving your damn life," Mimic sounded like he already regretted his choice.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you saved my butt. I was just hoping to get another crack at the slimy weasel."

"You're welcome," Calvin smiled wryly as he helped pull Constrictor to his feed. "Oh shit."

Frank glanced at where Rankin was looking and saw Harrison marching toward them. He looked absolutely furious.

"Maybe you should have let him take me out after all," Constrictor groaned. Mimic gave a half-hearted chuckle.

"Where the hell is he?" came Harrison. Shield agents came flooding into the store behind him like a swarm of dark blue ants.

"He got away from me," Mimic actually sounded contrite. Frank had to appreciate that Rankin had taken all the blame.

"Where were you?" Harrison turned his baleful glare to Frank.

"Nearly dead on the floor," Frank stated matter of factly. "Can I see a doctor now?" Anything to get away from Harrison.

"Rankin, get him to a Shield transport and make sure he gets some medical attention," Harrison said after a moment of furious silence. "Don't even think we are done."

"Of course not," Frank snarled then punctuated it with a coughing fit. Each spasm felt like it was ripping his throat apart from within.

"Fuck him," Mimic growled as Frank leaned on his shoulder for support.

"You know Rankin, you aren't as bad as I thought," Frank admitted. Calvin was glad Frank couldn't see the large grin spreading across his face. Coming from Frank Payne that was a high compliment.

 **Tales from the Hood, part 3:  
"Betrayed"**

 **Parker Robbins' Home - Eleven Months Ago . . .**

I was never meant to sit still for long periods of time. I was never meant to be a boring guy with a boring life, like some desk jockey. I was meant for the streets, I was meant to be a leader of powerful men. Men I could tell what to do, to carry out my big plan. I had always had big plans. I was a man of action.

I was glad that at least none of my gang could see me right now. I was up to my elbows in soapy water and dishes. Ariana had started to get morning sickness a few weeks ago. Why was it called morning sickness anyway it happened at any time, not just mornings. Stupid. I would almost never do the dishes but Ariana had been sick for the past three days and both the sinks were full. Soon I'd pay people to do this shit.

Ariana came waddling out of the room, her hair was messy and there were bags under her eyes, she was still beautiful though. She wasn't showing anything than possibly the slightest of bumps but she waddled when she wasn't feeling well.

"Good to see you up, babe," I tried to smile at her resting bitch face. She moaned noncommittally in reply. "I've got a lot of business to attend to, baby. Once I'm done washing the dishes I am gonna go see the boys and get some stuff done."

Her face twisted in disapproval. "We're gonna have a baby now. I don't want you taking any chances, the baby will need a father."

"Baby, don't worry," I walked to her with open arms and hugged her. I kissed her on her forehead.

"It's nothing," I lied. "I swear, I just gotta tell the boys what to do and check and make sure things are running smooth. Then I'll grab us some food and head right back here in time for lunch, okay?"

I usually didn't like spoiling my women too much but Ariana was going to be the mother of my child. That was why I was staying home and coddling her. Nothing could happen to my baby, especially if it turned out to be a boy.

"I still don't like it," she frowned up at me.

"I gotta get out of here," I let slip a little honesty. "If I don't I'm going to go crazy worrying about my business."

"Can't Pete handle things for a few months?"

"That's what I want to find out."

 **Hood's Old Hideout - One Hour Later**

I held my breath as I waited for someone to walk into the side door of the old closed down that served as my gang's main hideout. On the way over I had realized that the best way to check on how the gang was doing without me was to actually see how the gang was doing when they didn't know I was there.

I realized I didn't have to wait for someone to open the door and sneak in behind them. I ran toward the building and used my magic boots to run up the wall to the roof. We never locked the roof door. I opened to door and snuck silently down the stairs. I was invisible but the Hood couldn't make me silent so I had to be careful

I could hear Pete's muffled voice, but couldn't make out what he was saying. I was glad that at least he hadn't taken advantage of my absence to be lazy and stay home. I got to the bottom of the stairs and turned left.

"I am deadly serious, you all should know that I am." That was Pete, he sounded more confident than I had ever heard him be. I smiled a little with pride, that was my cousin.

"Ever since he found that magic hood he has been growing more and more powerful." What was this? I walked into the room they were all gathered in. Most of my gang sat around a table with Pete standing at the head.

"If we are gonna do this it is going to have to be soon," Pete eyed each member one on one to emphasize his point. My hands shot to my guns, but I paused. This might not be what it looks like, I hadn't heard enough to know for sure. Besides this was Pete. It had better not be. I took my guns silently from their holsters.

"That's exactly why we shouldn't do this," Gabriel, one of the newer members countered. "It's a bad idea."

"How many more of us does he have to kill for you to wake up?" Pete shouted. "You are too new to remember Stalker, or Paine or Luu but I know even you could list at least six members he himself has killed directly."

Motherfucker.

I raised one of my pistols and aimed it at Pete's head.

"This isn't about them, this is about those times he pointed his gun at _you_ ," Gabriel sneered. I stopped. I wanted to see how this played out. I wanted to see who was loyal and who was going to follow Pete. "So he's killed a few gang members, most if not all of them probably deserved it. He doesn't put up with shit, that's how a powerful man stays powerful."

"You like guys who kills your fellow gang members?" Pete asked incredulously.

Gabriel looked around for support and found none.

A few of the guys couldn't even look him in the eyes, no cajones. I'd definitely seen enough. I raised my pistol again, prepared to finally blow Pete's brains out. No. I wanted him to see what had made me do, to watch his friends die because of his ambition. His betrayal. Damn, why did it have to be Pete?

I re-aimed my guns and visible.

"Shit!" Pete was quick to catch on. He ducked away, and turned to run, but I was blocking the only exit.

I opened fire with my demonic bullets. The flaming bullets tore holes as big as headlights through my followers' bodies. They caused quite a stench as well as they seared the flesh as they tore through them. I killed four before anyone else did anything besides stare. Then the screams started as some dove under the table and others ducked behind their chairs to draw their guns. Dumbasses.

The bullets tore through the table and chairs like a hot knife through butter. I hardly heard their screams and pleas for mercy as I blasted off hands, legs and dicks. Craters opened in heads and whole organs were blasted from bodies. Chunks of smoking burnt gangster splattered their way onto my flapping red hood. It actually started to smell a little like beef to me.

I saw some movement behind me out of the corner of my eyes. I wasn't going to let anyone get away from me that easily. I pulled the trigger before I realized it was Gabriel. His dark eyes stared at me in surprise and betrayal just before they exploded backwards from his head, disintgrated. Damn, I had planned on keeping him alive. Oh well, he had been the last of them. All except one that is.

Pete.

I found him edging along the far wall, trying to sneak past me and run out the door. He was crying. I had really respected him way too much. Still I couldn't help but feel a stone in my gut, and my throat tightened.

"Why?" I screamed at him. He blubbered. I pushed the barrel of my smoking pistol against his forehead. I could hear it sizzle a little. "Goddammit, tell me why you did it, Pete? Of all people, why did it have to be you? Goddammit! Goddammit!"

"You keep trying to fucking kill me!" Pete blurted out in between sobs. Dammit. I hadn't actually ever hurt him though. Why did he have to betray me? Damn. I knew what I had to do. I glared down at his sobbing body. My vision blurred. Dammit. I had to do it. If anyone ever knew of this moment of weakness it would all be over. My child would never be anything better than some street rat.

"Damn you!" I shouted before squeezing the trigger. BLAM! "Damn you for making me do it!" I was shouting at his now headless corpse. "Dammit!" I collapsed. I had no gang. Pete was gone, no one I knew was there anymore. No one would have my back. Then again, it seemed like no one ever had.

A few sobs tried to creep their way out of my chest but I choked them back, wiping the tears I couldn't stop from streaming down my face. Why did it have to be Pete? He had really been my only blood family left. I was truly alone.

No. I sniffed and wiped my runny nose. I wiped the last of my tears away and set my jaw. I had a child on the way. I couldn't afford any more weakness. Pete had done me a favor. He had taught my a valuable lesson. I couldn't trust anyone. There was no family but my child. I would never let myself become that weak again.

I stood there for a moment, I had no choice now. I lifted up my left arm and blasted a fireball at what was left of the smoldering table. It exploded into flames. I blasted Pete with fire once more, just to drive the point home.

Time to start over.

 **To Be Continued . . .**

 **Next: Capekillers #9 Collision Course:** The Hood joins the hunt for Toxin and it is an all-out race to see who can capture the symbiote first. Plus Black Fox has plans that our new Ant-Man has plenty of reason to be pissed off about.


	4. Extract the Toxin Pt 4: Collision Course

**Capekillers #9**

 **Extract the Toxin, Part Four of Four:**

 **"Collision Course"**

 **By Tim Veselka**

 **Streets of NYC – 15:21**

Agent Humphries stared at Lucas' back while they raced along the sidewalk. "I can't believe they let him get away after all our hard work!"

"Yeah, sure," Lucas barely responded.

It seemed to Humphries that Lucas was still simmering after their little exchange. Humphries' heart ached. He hoped Lucas didn't think that he had fallen for him or anything. It was nothing like that. Lucas had come to him as a brand new agent and under his guidance had become an agent of great repute, especially in their native London. When Lucas' hand had been shattered it was almost like watching his own son be injured and worse Humphries felt he only had himself to blame.

"Well," Humphries finally mustered up the courage to say something else. "We'll just have to try to take him on ourselves this time!"

"What?" Lucas stopped for a second in shock. "You mean it?"

"Obviously we can't trust the Capekillers to get our man for us. And nothing is more disappointing than losing a man we've been after." Humphries stated dismissively. "Let's tackle him on our own! You know how much I do love to tackle our man. What do you say, Lucas, should we do it?"

"That's what I like to hear!" Lucas grinned larger than he had all day and turned red as a beet. They resumed racing in the direction Toxin had last been spotted fleeing.

Humphries was terrified at the thought of taking on the symbiote infused Shield agent on their own but nothing was more important to him than his loved ones. That category consisted of two people, his mother, and agent Lucas. Well, his former colleagues Agent Slocum, Agent Brahms, Agent Peacock, and Agent Granger also fit inside that category, as frustrating as they could be. What an idiot thing to do though, his stomach clenched with the thought of fighting Toxin and Lucas getting hurt again.

"Do you think we have lost him?" Humphries asked, trying to mask the hope in his voice. "I haven't seen even a little peep of him. Not since the mall, anyway. Can you imagine, Lucas, if we were retail salespeople?"

"Sounds dreadful," Lucas grunted. "I hear they are seriously underpaid. I need to be able to afford my weekly bird if you know what I mean."

"I catch the drift," Humphries replied dryly.

"You know what," Lucas suddenly slowed his run to a jog. "You are quite right, this is getting us nowhere."

"I am?" Humphries asked gleefully.

"We need to get him to come to us."

"We do?" Humphries' rising heart dropped suddenly into his stomach. "How are we going to accomplish that?"

"I'm thinking." Lucas shushed him. Humphries gasped in offense and held his hand to his chest in protest.

"Agent Mulligan!" Lucas suddenly shouted out, startling Humphries and sending him stumbling slightly back. "If you don't turn yourself into me I am going to have no choice but to go to your family and declare you a traitor and demand that they contact us if you ever show your face anywhere near them!"

"You wouldn't!" Humphries gasped again, this time quietly.

"I would!" Lucas kept shouting.

"Hush, I am not ready!" Humphries grumped at his partner. Just then a crimson and black form sailed from top of a building right toward them. "I think it worked." Humphries gulped and pulled out his standard issue energy pistol. Lucas already had his ready.

"I will kill you!" Toxin screeched as it flew in close enough for them to hear. Humphries believed him. He had just enough sense to glance about for cover.

"Fire!" Lucas shouted. Both agents let loose with a volley of energy bursts. Just in time Toxin lashed out a long rope-like tendril and swung wide to avoid their fire. They kept shooting, trying to follow as Toxin ran along the building wall and jumped down to the sidewalk across the street. If they weren't careful their guns would soon overheat and they would be left defenseless.

"Any ideas?" Humphries glanced at his junior partner.

"I have a few up my sleeve, err arm," Lucas winked at him and lifted his new cybernetic hand. The hand suddenly dropped on some sort of hinge revealing a small barrel at the center of where his wrist used to be. Humphries gaped.

Toxin was charging again and nearly atop them when Lucas let loose with his wrist laser. The laser hissed loudly when it made contact on Toxin's hide. The symbiote hissed back in response. It screeched loudly and flipped backward away from them. Its hand went to its side and glared at them with glowing white eyes. It was at that moment Humphries knew they were in deep shit.

"I have had enough," the symbiote hissed, its voice slithering through the air into their ears. "Maybe if we kill you they'll learn to leave us alone."

"Y-y-you know that's not how Shield works," Humphries stammered out. Lucas glanced at him in shame. "It isn't."

"Oh well," Toxin snarled and leaped toward them again, knocking a motorcycle that was in his way through the air. His fanged mouth gaped widely open exposing his engorged scarlet cone-shaped tongue almost like a bloody ice cream cone.

"Oh! I'm overcome with disgust!" Humphries shrieked like a teenage girl but nailed Toxin directly in the chest with his energy pistol. It had little effect.

"I'm still charging up!" Lucas answered Humphries' question before he asked it. "The laser will be ready in a few seconds."

"We may not have a few seconds!" Humphries' voice cracked as he screeched firing again and again.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Lucas snapped, aiming his wrist at Toxin again.

Toxin raked at them with his glistening black talons, they both stumbled backward, almost falling over each other. Taking advantage, Toxin tackled into both of them, Lucas' laser suddenly shot wildly into the air. Now he had enough time to take them both out.

Toxin swiped his enlarged left arm at Lucas, sending the young Shield agent flying into a cement wall behind him. He reached out and grasped Humphries with his oozing symbiote slowly covering the entire body of the struggling Shield agent. The man gasped and glared at him, vacillating between terror and angry determination.

"I've had enough of you two hunting me down for Shield," the symbiote's rancid breath washed over Humphries' face, causing him to gag.

"If it's not us then it will just be someone else," Humphries managed to choke out. Toxin could smell fear washing over him from the effeminate agent. He licked his fanged lips, it smelled delicious. He lowered his face until it was even with Humphries'.

"I'll take our chances with someone else," Toxin whispered menacingly. "I doubt they could be any more annoying than you two."

"You've got that right!" Toxin turned just in time for Lucas, barely able to stand but pointing his wrist, to fire again.

The laser caught Toxin right in the face. Mulligan and his symbiote screamed in pain, their voices creating an eerie chorus. He dropped Humphries to the sidewalk and staggered away from the agent, still screeching in pain.

"Come along," Lucas whispered gruffly in Humphries' ear and helped his partner to his feet.

Toxin swiped madly at his face, trying to brush away the pain. The two agents advanced on him, guns drawn. Glancing over his shoulder Toxin revealed Mulligan's face, his skin seared away, one of his eyes half melted out of its socket.

Toxin bared his fangs that were slowly growing back in his mouth and screamed wildly at them. They shrank back for the slightest second and Toxin leaped away. The two ran to watch where he fled, but the quickly setting sun disguised the symbiote's exit.

"Damn!" Humphries breathed slowly out air he hadn't realized he'd been holding in.

"I'm sorry," Lucas suddenly said.

"What?"

"I'm sorry I insisted we take that thing on our own, it was crazy of me to ask that of you! I mean, you almost . . . Let's never do that again."

"I think I can agree to that," Humphries watched as the sun's rays filtered down through the skyscrapers that surrounded them. It was one hell of a sight.

 **Fort Raymond**

The man who had been known as Don Thomas was more conscious than not today. At least that was how he felt. He was able to keep his eyes open, his head was still hazy and he couldn't remember if the past forty-eight hours had been real or had been one hell of a nightmare. Judging from the surgical tables and surgical instruments that surrounded him it had been all too real. If he was going to escape he was going to need to keep his cool. Funny, he realized other than slightly curious and hungry he wasn't actually feeling anything at all.

Shouldn't he be terrified?

He glanced about some more to see if he was alone in the surgery room. He wasn't. He could see someone in surgical robes walking around his peripheral. What was he going to do? It seemed the harder he tried to think of escape the harder it became to think at all. Something was very wrong. He knew this should have sent a prickling of fear all the way up his spine, instead, it just made him slightly more curious. What had happened to him?

"Ah! I see you are awake!" whoever it was behind him stated. "Do you think you feel good enough to sit up?"

"I feel fine." That should have been a lie but it wasn't.

"Good." The figure drew close and suddenly he felt tugging at his wrists then his ankles. They had buckled him down to the surgical bed. Something bad had definitely happened to him. He would figure it out, in time.

Don sat up and immediately felt dizzy. He reached to the side of his head and held it to stabilize himself. At least he had felt something. He smiled.

"How do you feel?" It was some female doctor.

"A bit dizzy." Why was he being honest?

"That should pass soon," she told him. "You've been laying on your back for over two days now, it takes a bit to get back to normal."

"I'm fine now," he purposely lied, just to make sure that he could. He had one hell of a headache, but somehow he was just glad he could feel it. Something was definitely wrong. He was never one to appreciate any kind of pain.

"Good," the doctor nodded and motioned to two nurses that happened to be passing by. "Let's see if you can get to your feet."

She stood in front of Don and motioned him up, a nurse took each one of his shoulders and helped him up to his feet. He found himself rather steady on his feet, much to his own curious surprise. She waved him forward as she backed up. She motioned to the nurses to let him go as he made his way toward her. He smiled as one foot stepped easily in front of the other.

"You are well on your way to recovery, Mr. Thomas," the doctor smiled brightly at him. He found himself unable to smile back. He was curious why.

"Now, now," came Agent Crowne's disdainful voice. That did trigger an emotion. Rage. It seemed that was one emotion he could definitely feel. Rage, barely contained. "That was his old name, Doctor Haney." Crowne motioned her away from Don with a disdainful flick of his thin wrist.

"You know that you are only allowed to call him by his new name," Crowne admonished and handed Don a mirror. Curious, Don looked at the mirror. What he saw was horrifying. Half his skull had been replaced with a metal casing styled after the superhero Ant-Man. His right eye, or whatever had replaced it, glowed red. The mirror cracked in his vice-like grasp. He turned and threw it at Crowne. The director of Fort Raymond ducked and raised his arms to block it. The mirror glanced wildly off his forearm.

"What's the matter, Black Ant? Don't you like your super makeover?" Crowne smirked annoyingly. "Admit it, you were a nobody, Blue Streak, nobody even knew you existed, not even your creators, Shield, cared. Now you will be known as Black Ant. The name already comes with some notoriety. We did you a favor!"

"What have you done to me?" Don asked in rage. He dove forward, his hands grasping for Crowne's delicate pale throat, so easy to crush. The two stocky nurses smashed into him, holding him back from his murderous intent. "I'm going to makeover your skull!"

"Now, now," Crowne smirked as he lifted some sort of taser or something. "You really should be more grateful, Black Ant, after all if it weren't for me you'd be dead in an unmarked grave for nobodies." Crowne raised the taser just as Don shoved one nurse aside and lunged toward him. Electrical current coursed through Don's cybernetically enhanced body. His human parts spasmed and went weak on him. Dammit, he had gotten so close to getting his hands on that scrawny neck. He fell.

"Welcome, once more, to the Capekillers, Black Ant." That was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.

 **Hood's Hideout**

Everyone had gathered this evening, Hood had called them there after all. Griffin fluttered his massive red-feathered wings impatiently as Spider Woman walked seductively by him. He snorted derisively. He might be a beast but he would still never mate with a psycho like her. Lightmaster rolled his eyes at them both. Joystick smirked. Porcupine ignored them all, his eyes trained on Hood, waiting to see why he had been called up.

Hood wasn't so sure about his motley little crew. Still, better than those traitors he had run around with before he gained his powers. He needed more muscle. He had planned to get Toxin by now, and killing Blue Streak might have been a mistake. The idiot had at least usually followed orders, as long as they weren't too risky to his health.

"We need more manpower before we execute my final plan," Hood eventually told his gang, plainly. "We need to get our hands on the symbiote before Shield does."

"We already took them on in their own home turf and we won," Joystick thrust a thumb angrily in the general direction of Fort Raymond.

"Ah, but we lost Blue Streak," Hood reminded her.

Joystick smirked and rolled her eyes at Hood's retort. "Oooh no, what a big loss. I still don't see why we have to get more people on the team. That's less payment for each of us. We can take them, easily."

"What you don't realize, Joystick is that the Capekillers have bolstered their ranks since our attack on Fort Raymond."

"What, another twenty Shield agents?" Joystick huffed. "I'll take them all on myself without even breaking a sweat."

"No," Hood corrected impatiently. "They have a Hulk."

With that statement, everyone went suddenly silent. There were a lot of heroes the Capekillers could have added to their roster that wouldn't have caused them to even bat an eye, but Hulk? Hulk was like a force of nature, how do you fight a natural disaster? Nobody was dumb enough to want to do that. Or so Hood assumed.

"So?" Joystick finally forced out with a shake of her head. "So what, between Griffin, Spider Woman and me, we can take him on." Griffin and Spider Woman looked at each other doubtfully. Joystick ignited one of her energy batons. "I suppose another member wouldn't be too much of a pain in my payout. Let's get this slimeball."

A sharp report sounded outside. Gunfire. Hood immediately grabbed his two pistols and went invisible. Were they under attack? About twenty more shots raining down on them answered that question. The villains all dove for cover at once, colliding with each other. Joystick blocked a couple of bullets with her batons, thanks to her superhuman reflexes. Griffin took one to the shoulder, it didn't go deep thanks to his tough hide. He roared in pain, the sound nearly deafening Hood as he ran out of the room toward the exit to get a good look at their unexpected attackers. It obviously wasn't the Capekillers or some heroes or it wouldn't have been bullets.

"Yo, Hood!" a voice Parker didn't recognize shouted at him. "Get yo ass out here and face some lead justice!" Definitely not Shield or superheroes.

"Who the hell do you think you are, and what do you want with the Hood?" Spider Woman screamed out at their attackers.

"That Ant-Man design you sold my boss was a fake, it was bullshit! How the hell do you think you can rip him off?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hood went visible for a moment, ducking behind a crate outside. "We stole those files directly from a Shield base ourselves!"

"Then they made a fool of you, Hood. Not my concern. My job is to make you pay for making a fool of my boss. You drug him down with you!"

Hood gritted his teeth and went invisible again. He stepped quietly out from behind his crate and took aim.

"You don't even got the balls to respond to me?" the gangster called out. "Shoot the whole place down, boys!"

Hood went visible for just a moment. Enough to startle the gangsters into inaction. "Here's my response, little man." Hood fired a demon-cursed bullet right through the lead gangster's head, it exploded as it exited the back of his skull. He went invisible again.

"Blast him!" some other gangster shouted.

A hail of bullets rained down on his hideout, Hood already having taken shelter behind his large crate. Secretly it was filled with armor for any non-powered goons they might pick up along the way. It was one of the few crates that could actually protect him from the downpour of bullets spraying wood chips and destruction everywhere.

Hood's eyes began to glow a bright yellow-orange. "Earn your damn paychecks!" His amplified voice roared over the gunfire. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He felt alone and vulnerable and there was nothing he hated more than feeling weak or vulnerable.

Joystick's vibrant red energy beam burst forth from a shattered window and slammed right into the middle of the knot of gangsters gathered behind their SUV's. A few went flying to the side, it wasn't likely they would be getting up any time soon. Hood smirked, that was why he employed that annoying bitch, she had more balls than any of the men he had in his employ.

Another blast, this one yellow, kept the remaining gangsters busy so Hood could gain a better position. That one had to be from his newest recruit, Lightmaster. He didn't have a lot of confidence in the man but he was coming through when it most counted.

Where was that crazy Spider Woman? Didn't she have some kind of 'venom blasts' or something like that? Besides she was batshit crazy, she loved violence. He glanced again at the attacking gangsters to make sure he was still clear to run back to the hideout and answered his own question. Somehow the crazy blonde had snuck behind the gangsters using the creepy spider legs that grew from her back. She wanted to kill them upfront and personal. Hood smirked, he liked her style. It really was too bad she was so damn crazy, she was pretty hot, Hood observed as she fell on the men with her green venom blasts, laughing with wild abandon as she did so.

With much fewer bullets raining down on them the rest of the gang burst forth from the now pockmarked hideout. Griffin held Porcupine below him as they flew through the remains of the front window. Glass spun away from them in the air like glittering deadly snow. By the time the two landed there were a measly three gangsters left for them to kill out of the initial twenty-four attackers.

"Sorry I didn't save much for you, my dear Griffin," Spider Woman bemoaned with a wicked smile as Griffin snapped the last gangster's neck. "I just couldn't help myself. There's something delicious about making a man scream before he dies. I just can't get enough."

Griffin ignored her as he dropped the gangster and began to sniff to see if any were faking their deaths. Porcupine hadn't killed a single one. Hood gave him a side-eye that would have been blistering if he had seen it. He knew Porcupine had fought the Avengers and every account said he acquitted himself well, so why had he not been much help so far?

"Now that you all have gotten a taste of fun it's time we take down a harder target," Hood said, making sure to look Porcupine and Lightmaster hard in the eyes. "It's time to go get that Shield agent infested symbiote."

 **Keens Steakhouse, Manhattan**

Keens wasn't quite used to the riotous customers like the two men they were serving now. It was a good thing it was before most of their clientele usually arrived. It was an odd pair, an older man with a bushy white mustache and dressed appropriately for the formality of the restaurant and a much younger redhead dressed in a sport coat and red button-up shirt matched up with a pair of blue jeans.

"To our future endeavors!" Eric O'Grady held up a beer in a toast. A laughing Raul Chalmers returned the gesture with his small glass of rye on the rocks.

"Here's to every mission going as smooth as this one did," Raul took a quick swig but held it in his mouth for a second, savoring how smooth it was, then swallowed and took to cutting his perfectly cooked medium-rare steak.

"I bet we can sell these plans for tens of millions of dollars!" O'Grady gushed. Imagine what he could do with that kind of bread. He'd have a swank pad and a wicked tailor-made suit of black and red, his favorite colors. The girls couldn't resist him then. Everyone knew that women were attracted to rich men, and soon he'd be one of them. He'd throw parties with girls in bikinis in his excessively large personal swimming pool. He'd show everyone that had ever doubted him that he could take care of himself, he could be somebody. No one would ever doubt him again, no one.

Raul laughed with him but Eric noticed with a little tingle to his danger senses that he was holding back. Was he planning to take the plans from him and bolt? Eric would never let that happen, he had sacrificed so much to get himself where he was right now. He eyed Raul, probably called Black Fox for a good reason. Maybe like a black-hearted fox. Ready to betray his trusted partner at any given moment.

Raul suddenly pulled something from his side, Eric tensed. This was it! Raul presented the USB drive that held Ant-Man's plans, the ones they had taken great care to copy for his sake and so they could keep selling it on the black market before it became readily available. By then they would be far away from New York, and Shield, in some no-name tropical country, living like kings of the profits.

"What's this?"

"I know you won't like this," Raul leaned in and whispered gruffly at him.

O'Grady swallowed loudly and leaned in as well. "What are you talking about, old man? What's not to like? We've got a perfect scheme going here. Are you trying to break your deal with me, because if so, I can tell you -"

"I need you to take the plans back to Shield and tell them that you stole the Ant-Man suit only to get them away from Hood."

"Are you insane?!"

"I knew you would react like this," Raul rolled his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean, old timer?"

"You're acting like someone half your age,"

"That's, twelve, thirteen, hey! I am not acting like some kid here! Going back to Shield is goddamn suicide!"

"Not if you bring them back the G.I. Ant-Man blueprints," referring to them by their official codename. Proof he had looked them over well while he had copied them from the thumb drive.

"Why in the hell would I do that?" O'Grady countered.

"There is something much bigger coming, Eric!" Raul explained vaguely. "Something that will get us a hundred times what these Ant-Man designs will get us!"

"Oh, and what's that?"

"I'm not exactly sure on the specifics," Raul told him.

"And you expect me to turn myself in for this, this vague idea of something nebulous out there that just might be very valuable? Especially when I already have something of great value already in my hands?"

"Think of it as an investment," Raul told him. "Besides, we've already copied what we need from the drive. It'll be a nice bit of side cash after the secrets we are taking from the Capekillers base, O'Grady. Trust me."

"And just exactly why should I do that? Because you're a thief? No? Because you conned me into leaving my comfy post? No?"

"You hated that place and you know it."

"But at least I wasn't on run from the largest spy organization in the world! I was a part of it!" O'Grady was turning beet red from frustration.

"You can be that again, just bring them back the blueprints and tell them that you stole the Ant-Man suit only so that you could get that back from the Hood before he could sell it on the black market. It fits almost all the facts anyway. They'll see you as a hero!"

"A hero?" for just a second O'Grady considered it, before guffawing and tossing the idea aside as swiftly as it had come.

"A hero."

"Hmmm . . . "

 **Streets of NYC, 19:07**

Parker Robbins used his magic boots to race along the walls and windows of buildings, avoiding the milling crowds of dumb humanity below. They were like cattle and he was a cowboy, someone who knew their worth and also their worthlessness. He could use the chattel as he always had for millennia or he could feast on them to grant him power such that the Capekillers could barely stand the sight of him!

Parker shook his head. Where were these thoughts coming from? Unbidden they rose to the surface of his mind. He knew better, without these pathetic ghosts of people he wouldn't have anyone to profit from. What was going on? He didn't have time to psychoanalyze himself. He had a plan to execute.

His whole gang was depending on him to keep it together and for the first time in a long time, he was unsure if that was possible. Something was changing him. He had never shied away from violence or even killing but he had never really craved it, and now it was as if every kill was a meal and the longer he waited to kill someone the more 'hangry' he got. Even now he was licking his lips at the thought of finding Toxin.

It was actually the psycho-bitch that was responsible for them finding the symbiote. She had some sort of weird telepathy that she could use to track him. He didn't care how it worked as long as it got him results and if how excited she was getting was any indicator of anything they were getting close. It was about time, Parker was tired of running after this slimy alien. It was about time to take things into his own hands.

That was when everything went straight to hell.

"It's time to stop running, symbiote!" Hood pronounced as he leaped from the wall and landed in front of Toxin. "You're coming with us."

Toxin simply replied with a loud hiss, his scarlet tongue flailing about. Hood wasn't afraid of his black fangs and dripping claws, he had more power than anyone gave him credit for. Hood smiled in response to the symbiote's obvious threat.

"I don't think so, Hood," Agent Harrison proclaimed suddenly as Mimic, carrying the Shield agent, landed behind Toxin. "He's ours!"

Toxin backed up so that he could face both his would-be captors at the same time, his large white eyes darting back and forth between them. He was exhausted from the constant running and arguing with his alien symbiote. There was no way this could end well for him, no matter who took him.

"I don't belong to anyone," he hissed as he extended his wicked claws menacingly. "You might as well all go home."

"You know that isn't going to happen, son," Harrison refuted. "Shield has invested far too much into that symbiote to just let it go like that. I know that thing is influencing you, Mulligan, but you have to fight and come back home with us."

"No!"

"You heard him, Shield," Hood advanced on Harrison. "He doesn't want anything to do with you. He's coming with me."

"No!"

Constrictor came racing toward them, followed by agents Castillo and Cancino. Both were armed to the teeth and wore combat armor. Constrictor looked grim, as did Mimic, Toxin wasn't sure what to make of them. He knew that neither really wanted to be working for Shield but there was nothing to tell him that they cared one iota for his freedom. Why should they? He was one of the agents that had kept them imprisoned and basically used as slave mercenaries. No, he wouldn't be getting any help from them.

He glanced about, trying to find some means of escape that would stop any one of them from following him. That was near impossible, Mimic could fly and even Constrictor could use his coils to access places that most people couldn't get to easily. A rooftop wouldn't do, he would be way too exposed to Rankin's attacks.

Spider Woman came skittering forward on her creepy spider legs that grew from her back. They moved eerily fast and smooth, something was so unnatural about them but somehow they felt familiar to Mulligan. Was it something to do with the symbiote. He didn't have time to analyze and the rest of Hood's little gang joined them. Joystick was dropped from the sky by Griffin as he looped above them and then slowed to land. Lightmaster was right behind him, flying a bit more cautiously than the animalistic Griffin. Porcupine sprinted up from behind them, a little winded from running so far.

"I have you outnumbered and outpowered again, Harrison," Hood smirked, raising his hands to indicate his gang members.

Harrison couldn't deny that the numbers were greater than theirs but they had a secret weapon that he could call upon at any given moment. He didn't want to spoil the surprise yet, but he couldn't wait to see the look on Hood's face when he revealed the Red Hulk. Hood was going to piss himself. Harrison grinned at that thought.

"Outnumbered, maybe, but outpowered? Not a chance."

"Finish them off," Hood thrust a finger at what was left of the Capekillers. "Then we'll take our prize home. Lightmaster, keep an eye on our newest recruit."

"Capekillers, show 'em what you're made of," Harrison commanded.

Mimic launched himself at the villains that charged forward. His first target was the one that caused him the most fear, Griffin. Cal unleashed a stream of ice from his hands, thanks to Bobby Drake, freezing the beast man's wings and causing him to drop from the sky like a rock with an infuriated roar.

Joystick looked in shock as Griffin down within seconds. Obviously, they hadn't caught the Capekillers by surprise this time. She would have to try harder this time. She grinned, she'd always loved a challenge. She unleashed her red energy batons and charged forward, her eyes glued on Constrictor. She could take him out quickly then they could easily take on Mimic and the regular Shield agents.

Porcupine busied himself with the two advancing Shield agents, Cancino and Castillo, firing stunning quills at the pair. They both ignited their energy shield and brushed his quills aside so instead the animal-themed criminal charged toward them with a cry of determination. Lightmaster floated above them all watching Toxin who stood frozen with indecision. Toxin glanced back and forth between the Shield agents and Hood's little gang Lightmaster had just joined.

The floating criminal was already worried that he would come to regret his decision to join Hood's gang, but he needed the money after all. He wasn't given much respect in the criminal underworld, often they called him a pale shadow of the Living Laser, a C-lister, a nobody. It was true that his criminal career wasn't exactly the most successful one but his powers truly were awesome.

The power of light was nothing to sneeze and besides that he was a smart man, having once been the vice chancellor of Empire State University. It was because he was smart he had realized that his best chances of getting rich, without too much personal risk, was to join up with other supervillains and let the more physically geared villains take the risks for him while he contributed using his brains as well as his long-range powers.

He used his powers over light to flash blinding light into Mimics eyes, but his timing was off as it Rankin had just let loose a streaming burst of optic blasts at Joystick while she struggled forward using her batons to deflect his blast. Lightmaster, real name Edward Lansky, could see that the super strong Joystick was actually sweating with the strain of pushing against Mimic's blast. He hadn't realized the Z-list X-Men villain had that kind of power. He wondered if somehow he could use his powers to manipulate Mimic's optical blasts. Still not having taken action Lightmaster turned his attention toward Constrictor who was somehow taking on the psychotic Spider Woman.

As if feeling his eyes upon her Spider Woman glanced up at him with a grimace while she blocked Constrictor's coils with her spider legs. "Hey! New guy! How about a little help down here!" She fired a venom blast at the serpent-themed villain she was fighting, one of his coils merely brushed it aside, much to her irritation. A coil snuck through her legs and she barely dodged in time to avoid getting knocked out.

Lightmaster sneered but nonetheless fired a blast of light at Constrictor but the mercenary, having heard Spider Woman, simply closed his eyes for a moment, continuing his assault on Lansky's teammate. Hood below him hadn't moved since commanding them to attack the Capekillers. He was talking to the uncertain Toxin.

"You know they won't accept you back. They'll tell you anything to get you back now but once you are back under their control they are going to rip that symbiote from you. Do you know that symbiotes, once bonded, won't last long without their host? Sometimes it even kills the host when they are separated."

"How would you know?"

"How do you think I even knew about your existence? I have read every single Shield file on Project: Toxin," Hood explained.

"They wouldn't do that, the symbiote is too precious for them to waste like that!"

"They'd rather have a dead symbiote than one that was out of their control. You know I'm right."

Toxin stood still for a moment, Hood could practically see the wheels turning in their combined brain. Hood didn't care if he was right, he hadn't read every file on Project: Toxin. He just knew a few rumors and urban legends about Venom.

"I've made up my mind."

"Good."

Toxin leaped at Hood, fangs bared and claws extended. Hood jumped backward, drawing his demon enhanced pistols. He didn't want to kill Toxin either. He fired shots at the symbiote's legs and arms. Toxin twisted in mid-air and dodged all but one. One fiery bullet pierced his oozing hide and buried itself in Toxin's shoulder. The symbiote screeched, an eerie chorus combination of Mulligan and the alien's voices. Hood grinned.

Toxin leaped to the side and dodged behind a car. He launched the vehicle at Hood. Hood shot his hands forward and let loose with a powerful fiery blast, slowing the car as it spun through the air toward him. It crashed, flaming, right in front of him. Hood didn't move. Toxin suddenly appeared on top of the upside down car in front of him and launched himself once again at the Hood.

The symbiote's clawed hands were grasping Hood's wrists and spreading his arms wide before he could even get a shot off. Hood opened his mouth and spewed more fire at Toxin's face. Before the flames could reach him the symbiote kicked Hood, hard, in the chest, sending the gangster flying backward.

Next to them, Porcupine was having to physically keep the two Capekiller agents at bay while they used their energy shields and electric batons to pummel at his body. Good thing he was an excellent fighter, he blocked each blow with expert precision the quills on the backhands and forearms he fired at every given opportunity.

The two Shield agents were hammering with their shields and batons and Porcupine was starting to sweat underneath his too warm costume. Mimic and Constrictor were both on Joystick now.

 _Good,_ Joystick thought. _One of them alone wouldn't be enough of a challenge for me._ She might have been kidding herself as Mimic let loose with an optic blast and an ice blast at the same time. He blocked both blasts with her dual energy batons but one of Constrictor's metal coils snaked through her defenses and cracked her across the skull. Joystick stumbled drunkenly back.

Realizing that if he didn't do something now they might lose to the Capekillers, Lightmaster dove reluctantly into the fray. He shot a stream of solid light projection and wrapped it around Castillo, saving Porcupine from a well-aimed blow. Cancino turned to see what had happened to his partner and received several quills in the shoulder for his efforts. He turned back to Porcupine and blocked the next volley of quills with his energy shield. He had to trust that Castillo could handle himself.

Just as the tide turned against them their reinforcements arrived. Hunter arrived with Lucas and Humphries in tow. The three agents opened fire on the criminals attacking their fellow Shield agents. They'd get to the super-powered help once they were sure the agents were safe. They were criminals, after all, fellow Shield agents came first.

"This is like one of those carnival games!" Lucas called out, shooting a laser from his cybernetic hand and shooting and energy pistol with his other hand. One laser seared a recovering Griffin who had just taken wing. The beast man roared angrily and dove into the fray but the Shield agents had managed to overcome Porcupine, five to one. They turned on Lightmaster, Lucas was distressed to find his laser didn't work on Lightmaster, but for some reason his energy gun did. They rained energy hell down on the uppity criminal. Lansky fell before the overwhelming assault.

"Boss!" a recovering Porcupine called out to the Hood.

The red-cloaked gangster was engaged in a dual fight against both Toxin and Harrison. The older Shield agent was in surprisingly good shape and was able to stay in step with the demon-possessed Hood. Toxin had an obvious weakness to fire and especially demon fire, his shoulder still recovering, so he was using hit and run techniques that went against his symbiote's nature but surprisingly the alien didn't complain, in fact, it had been surprisingly silent ever since he had been shot. Something was wrong, it suddenly dawned on Mulligan.

"What's wrong, Toxin?" Mulligan asked his symbiote, talking out loud as he had to concentrate on avoiding Hood's fiery blasts.

 _Do you think the Hood is right?_

"Right? Right about what?"

 _Will Shield separate us by force?_

"No! No, I don't think so," Mulligan responded, growing more unsure with every word that spilled out of his mouth.

 _You are unsure._

"We'll have to convince them that the best thing they can do is let us stay together," Mulligan reassured.

 _Or we could run. Right now._

"And when would we stop running?" Mulligan asked. "Shield is everywhere, there is no escaping them!"

 _We could go somewhere no one is. Deep in the jungle. Somewhere they would never find us. It could be done._

"And hide forever? Your species might be alright with that but we humans aren't," Mulligan declared.

 _. . . neither are we._

"Boss!" Porcupine repeated, launching some quills at the Shield agents. "I think it's time we got out of here, Lightmaster is down!"

"No!" the Hood screamed in an inhuman voice. The gangster shook his head, his eyes had started to glow orange again. "You're right! Everyone scatter, Griffin, get Lightmaster. Meet back at my place!"

None of the villains needed told twice. Griffin swooped down and scooped Lightmaster up in his bulky red arms and flew away. Porcupine grabbed a car that had been abandoned amidst the fight and left running and sped away. Joystick the only one to pause for just the slightest second and then, taking advantage of her minimal super speed, sprinted away. Spider Woman leaped onto the side of a nearby building and skittered quickly away shouting curse words at them as she went.

The agents turned then and pointed their guns at Toxin who threw up his arms in defense. "Stand down!" Harrison shouted. "He could have run, he could have joined Hood's gang, but instead he chose to stay and help us."

Reluctantly the agents lowered their guns but every one of them kept at least one suspicious eye on the symbiote. Mimic landed. Everyone was silent, staring at Harrison and Toxin, holding their breath. What was going to happen?

"Are you ready to come home, Mulligan?" Harrison asked.

There was a moment's pause, a silence as thick as a London fog. "Yes. I am ready to go back to Fort Raymond." An audible sigh issued from nearly everyone present. They were all exhausted and beaten and sore and the last thing they wanted was to get into yet another fight with a supervillain.

"Then let's go," Harrison welcomed Mulligan with a gesture to join him at his side. Toxin let down his living red mask, revealing the auburn-haired Patrick Mulligan underneath, sweating and obviously nervous.

"I just want a shower," Cancino intoned as they walked back the way they had come.

 **Fort Raymond - Forty-Five minutes later**

Cancino was relieved to see the base up ahead, he felt crusty and he was sure he stank. The Shield armor was great for protection, horrible for comfort, they made him sweat and weighed him down, oftentimes they caused his Shield uniform to chafe against his groin and belly. In short, he hated them.

"Hey!" Castillo grunted from the shotgun seat. "Who is that?"

They all leaned forward to catch a glimpse of a red and black figure standing impatiently on the side of the road. The figure extended his thumb.

"Un-fucking-believable!" Harrison growled. "It's O'Grady! Stop this vehicle now! Everyone brace yourselves for a fight!" The armored vehicle screeched to a halt and everyone piled out as quick as they could.

"Hey, guys, did you miss me?" O'Grady flipped up his helmet, grinned and waved.

 **Tales from the Hood, part 4:  
"Meet the New Gang"**

 **Parker Robbins' Home - Ten Months Ago . . .**

"I still don't understand why Pete can't pick up some of the work," Ariana repeated for the fiftieth time. She was goddamn lucky she was carrying my child or I would have kicked her to the curb already. I knew pregnant women were full of hormones and so they had emotional swings and all that crap but Ariana really pushed the limits, always asking for stuff and trying to get him to stay home. Even more annoying, she would cry or throw a fit when she didn't get her way. I wished the baby would hurry up and be born already so I could finally be done with Ariana.

"Look, Pete abandoned me, took off with some of his people and left me high and dry, I couldn't turn my back on those guys for a second!" I lied. Once I had killed nearly everyone those that had survived just disappeared, absorbed into other gangs most likely. I didn't care. I didn't need them anymore. I had a plan.

"How come you didn't tell me, baby?" Ariana asked her face changing from angry frustration to motherly concern, which really wasn't any better.

"You can't stress out while you're carrying the baby, I figured I'd catch you up once the baby was born," I lied again.

"I'm not a delicate snowflake just because I am pregnant!" Ariana shouted her face quickly contorting back to anger. Whatever.

"I gotta go!" If I had to hear one more of her tirades right now I'd shut her up with a hand to the face. That would be a mistake, I didn't want to do anything to risk the baby.

"Parker!" Her voice rose another couple octaves. Screw that, I'm getting out now. "Parker, you get back here!"

I waved a hand in farewell and slammed the door behind me. I clenched my fists and tried to calm my breathing. I felt them get hot, little sparks flying from in between my fingers. No, I couldn't risk revealing myself publicly like this yet. Besides, I had a job to do and attracting attention wasn't in the plan.

 **Westchester County, Two Hours Later**

Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane had once been a normal heavy security prison until Dr. Kafka had gotten her condescending hands on it. She and the military had renovated it to become an insane asylum for those with super powers. It was a perfect place to start building my new gang from the ground up.

I knew of one particular inmate that had gone toe to toe against some of the heaviest hitters out there and come away none too worse for the wear. Johnny Horton, best known as the Griffin. From what I had been able to gather on the guy he had been like me, a no-name regular gangster until he was changed. No one knew for sure if it had been an accident, something he had done on purpose or something that had been done to him. To me, it didn't matter, he had power now and power was all that mattered.

I went invisible as I approached the entrance then used my boots to simply walk up and over the high brick wall that surrounded the institute, simply stepping over the razor wire. As long as I had my hood and boots no one would be able to contain me. I made my way invisibly across the institute yard and simply slipped in behind a guard.

I set off a metal detector as I slipped through while no one was going through. I would have enjoyed watching the ensuing confusion and anger amidst the staff but I was on a mission and the sooner I was done, the better.

They didn't pay their guards here very well. Stupid. That's how I had gotten the map to Griffin's padded cell. I didn't even have to bribe him with that much. I went up the drab functional cement stairs and climbed three floors. They had Griffin on the top floor, not their brightest moment.

I slipped into the hall and went through two more security gates, they were just sitting open with some bored looked guard staring blankly ahead at them, as if that would be enough for any of the inmates if they got loose. I was near my goal. The fourth cell on my left. I skidded to a halt, I had started to run in my eagerness.

I stared into the small narrow bullet-proof window provided to stare into patient's cells before entering. A sad sight Johnny Horton lay sprawled across the floor, thinner than he had been in the news. Probably starving. A large collar was locked around his neck, a red light blinked every couple of seconds. They had a power-dampening collar on him.

I quickly picked the lock, something I had picked up years ago, and opened the door. He didn't even stir. Did they have him all drugged up? I cursed. This might be a lot harder than I had originally thought. I slowly approached, trying to stay quiet, just in case. Suddenly Griffin's red hulking form lunged at me. Giant yellow fangs carrying a bad case of halitosis snapped just inches from my face.

I flinched. Dammit. But I didn't back away. "Griffin! I know you don't know me but I have a job for you!" I shouted over Griffin's snarls as he struggled against his chains that kept him just inches from tearing my throat out. His attack slowed and his eyes closed down to slits. Good, his lack of intelligence had been exaggerated, just as I had suspected.

"I need a team to help me get rich and my first choice to join is you," I told him as Griffin finally settled down and simply glowered at me with his piercing golden eyes. He shifted his weight and tugged at his collar with one of his half-formed hands. I understand what he was asking just fine.

"I'll need you to promise me that you will work for me before I can let you free," I told him plainly. "I think you can understand why."

Griffin studied me for a moment. I could see his nostrils twitching as he sniffed at me, perhaps for some sign of fear. I wasn't scared. I was in no danger with my gifts. I could disappear from Ravencroft any time I wanted. He finally nodded.

I took his collar in both my hands and concentrated. Demon fire poured into the keyhole on the collar and melted the insides of the mechanism. I pulled the collar apart easily. Griffin actually purred and smiled largely. Now I had a little fear in me.

"Free me too!" A woman's voice screeched from out in the hall. Alarmed, I shushed Griffin and went invisible. I ran out to see who had spoken to us. There was a woman in the cell across the hall. She looked pretty, a little old for me but still hot. "I'll work for you for cheap if you just free me like you did Griffin. Griffin came out behind me, I waved him back inside.

"Lady, I don't know you."

"I'm Spider Woman!" she told me.

"I thought she was an Avenger."

"I'm the _real_ Spider Woman!" she sounded a little too desperate. "I have all her powers and the powers of Spider-girl and that other one, Arachne!"

That was an impressive power set if it were true. I could hear a commotion further on down the hall.

"Griffin can fly, do you have a way to get out of here?"

"I can fly, sorta," she offered. Well, it wouldn't take too much effort and another member on my first day would be good if she wasn't any good I could always just get rid of her. Making my decision I busted open her door and melted the mechanism in her collar as well. She smiled crazily at me.

"How do we get out of this hallway?" she asked.

"Stand back, Griffin," I commanded my first recruit. "Get ready to fly!" I lifted a hand at the windowless outer wall and let loose with a huge fireball. The room rocked as the blast hit the way and shattered away the bricks.

Griffin turned to me and smiled, thankful. He stretched his wings for the first time in months and cried jubilantly before leaping off into the air. Spider Woman cackled as she followed after him.

"I've got some telepathy," Spider Woman called back at me as she glided away. "We'll find you as soon as we lose any pursuit!"

I smiled largely as I returned to my invisible state and ran down the cracked and blasted prison wall. Guards just missed me as they came scrambling to Griffin's former cell. "How the hell did this happen? Gorse! Did you forget to secure his collar?" I couldn't suppress a chuckle as they faded from earshot. Alarms blared and armed guards scrambled all over the yard but I just walked casually right past them. Hood's empire had begun.

 **END**

 **Next: Capekillers: Separation Anxiety:** A two-part story arc where Mulligan's worst fears are realized as Crowne decides that Shield would be better off without him bonded to the young symbiote. Is there anything he can do, hell can anyone do anything and does anyone care enough to do something? Hood is pissed they lost both the Ant-Man specs but also the symbiote.


End file.
